Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Here's a great addition to your pound cake line up. It's a classic pound cake, from a recipe passed down from my great grandmother, but with the addition of chocolate chips and a silky chocolate ganache.  I hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Ingredients

• 3 cups AP flour or cake flour
• 3 cups sugar
• 8 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 8 Tbsp. vegetable shortening
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 1/2 cups chocolate chips, divided
• 1 Tbsp. butter

Serves 10 - 12
Cook time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Cream sugar, shortening, and butter with beater attachment in stand mixer (a hand mixer will work too).  Add eggs, one at a time, letting each on combining completely before adding the next.  Alternate adding flour and 1 cup cream, mixing well after each addition.  Add vanilla and salt.  Add 3 cups of chocolate chips and gently stir to combine.
Do not preheat oven.  Put cake into cold oven and turn to 325 to bake for 1 1/2 hours.  When cake tester comes out clean of crumbs remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then invert onto wire rack and allow to cool.
Once cooled make the ganache: over a double boiler (or a glass bowl on top of a pot with simmering water) melt the 1/2 cup chocolate chips with the 1/4 cream; stir until chocolate is melted and smooth, then add butter (you can add more chocolate or cream to get the consistency you want).  Pour ganache over cake.