Holiday time recipe--for anyone interested:

Hey, folks:

It's the holiday time again, and I figured I'd share my favorite recipe with you all for anyone who'e into baking. If others are willing to put in their favorite recipes for the holidays, no matter what it may be, you're more than welcome. Here goes:

Chocolate Pound Cake with Rich Chocolate Glaze:

Cake:

2 cups all-purpose white flour
2 cups of sugar
2 sticks of unsalted butter (I always melt the butter first)
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. instant coffee
2 Tbsp. hot water
6 squares unsweetened baking chocolate (melted)

A) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

B) Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluff, when the mixture really and truly stays fluffy and holds. What I do on this occasion is to melt the butter in a saucepan first, and then add it to the sugar for creaming.

C) Combine the dry ingredients (i. e. the Flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder together into a smaller bowl. Sift together if you want, otherwise, just blend them together with a spoon or fork.

D) Fold in the eggs, one at a time.

E) Stir in the melted baking chocolate, then beat on a high setting for 3 minutes.

F) Dissolve the 2 Tbsp. of instant coffee in the 2 Tbsp. of hot water, then add enough water to create 1 1/2 cups of the coffee solution. Then, alternately fold in and combine the coffee/water solution and the flour mixture. Mix the cake batter thoroughly.

G) Spoon the cake batter into a generously greased 10-inch bunte pan or tube cake pan.

H) Bake the cake at 350 degrees F. for 65-70 minutes.

I) Turn the cake over onto a paper plate seated on a metal rack and allow to air-cool. Hopefully, the cake will fall out of the tube onto the paper plate of its own accord, and come out shaped like the tube that it was cooked in.

Rich Chocolate Glaze:

1 2/3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels
2/3 cup of heavy cream
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. confectioners sugar

A) In a saucepan, combine the semi-sweet chocolate morsels and the heavy cream, cooking over low-ish heat, until melted, stirring constantly! Add in the confectioners sugar and the vanilla extract. Keep heating and stirring the glaze until smooth, rich and creamy-looking.

B). When the cake is all cooled, (I recommend waiting until the cake is completely cooled and inverted onto a paper plate or whatever before making the chocolate glaze.) dribble the glaze onto the cake, letting it go over the sides, if need be. It's fun.