When I made the decision last year to slowly teach myself how to cook and bake, Bundt cakes were a natural place to begin. I owned a weathered and wonderful Bundt pan that belonged to my late grandmother, and started rather small: preparing Bundt cakes whose base was a box cake mix. Simple enough recipes with directions that were, for the most part, foolproof. I found success in baking – much more so than cooking – because the steps were rigid and fairly easy to follow. With no base knowledge of cooking, I was not tempted to “jazz up” any recipes out of fear of a culinary disaster. I followed each recipe, step by step.

One weekend while clicking through a number of recipe websites, I stumbled upon a pound cake recipe from scratch that I felt brave enough to try. Like magic, the dessert turned out beautifully. Since then I have mustered more courage to try even more new recipes and learn as much as possible about baking.

This past Christmas my mom gave me a butterfly-shaped cake pan. It was a thoughtful gesture and an adorable gift. But I really think my mom was politely trying to say, “Wendy, we love your Bundt cakes. But try something new already, OK?”

So I did. Yesterday afternoon I christened my Christmas gift by preparing a decadent and dense cream cheese pound cake recipe to share with my family. The result was adorable and absolutely delicious. And while I baked the pound cake in the butterfly pan, a traditional Bundt pan would most certainly do.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Chocolate Glaze
Pound Cake
(All ingredients should be at room temperature)
3 sticks of butter
3 cups of sugar
6 eggs
8-oz. package of cream cheese, softened
3 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Cream together the butter and sugar; beat well until fluffy. Add two eggs at a time; beat well. Add a half-cup of flour at a time, followed by the vanilla. Mix in the softened cream cheese. Bake in a greased and floured Bundt (or butterfly!) pan at 325 degrees for 75 minutes. Allow cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan.

Chocolate Glaze
2 cups of sugar
1 stick of butter
1 large can of evaporated milk
6 tablespoons of cocoa powder

In a large pot, mix together the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and allow to cook until the glaze thickens. Transfer the glaze to a separate bowl and allow to cool completely. Using a small gravy ladle, pour the chocolate glaze over slices of the pound cake. Serve to those you love and yourself. There’s nothing more perfect than a pound cake, be it for breakfast or dessert.