Double Chocolate Pound Cake (With French-Style Soaking Syrup)
An ultra-moist, premium double chocolate pound cake crafted with a blend of dark and milk chocolate, a professional French-style imbibage (rum soaking syrup), and finished with a sleek, shiny glaze. Perfect for pastry gifting.
Servings: 3 cakes
Calories: 320kcal
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Batter
- 8.5 oz Dark chocolate (chopped)
- 2.5 oz Milk chocolate (chopped)
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp Invert sugar (or mizuame, or honey)
- 5 Whole eggs approx. 250g, (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup Pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 1/3 cup Almond flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
Rum Imbibage (Soaking Syrup)
- 1/2 cup Simple syrup (1:1 water and sugar ratio)
- 1/4 cup Dark rum
Shiny Chocolate Glaze & Decoration
- 1 cup Dark or milk chocolate (chopped)
- 2 tbsp Coconut oil
- Chocolate crispy pearls (for decoration)
Instructions
Batter Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line three 6-inch loaf molds (or one large standard loaf pan) with parchment paper along the bottom and sides.
- Sift the pastry flour, almond flour, and baking powder together into a medium bowl to remove lumps. Set aside.
- In a double boiler over gently simmering water (or in short bursts in the microwave), melt the dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and unsalted butter together. Remove from heat.
- Add the granulated sugar and invert sugar (or mizuame/honey) to the melted chocolate mixture. Whisk until completely smooth.
- In a separate bowl, lightly beat the room-temperature eggs. Whisking constantly, add the eggs to the chocolate mix in 3 separate additions, ensuring it fully emulsifies each time.
- Gently fold the sifted dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture using a whisk or spatula just until combined and smooth.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared molds and smooth the tops with a spatula.
Baking & Soaking
- Drop the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C). Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Test with a toothpick in the center; it should come out clean.
- While the cakes are baking, whisk together the simple syrup and dark rum in a small bowl to create your imbibage.
- While the cake is piping hot straight from the oven, brush the rum syrup generously across the top of the cakes.
- Let the cakes cool in their pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Glazing & Finishing
- The next day, make the glaze: melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in a medium bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth and fluid.
- Set the chilled cakes on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Pour the warm glaze evenly over the top of the cakes, allowing it to coat the sides.
- Immediately decorate the top with chocolate crispy pearls before the glaze sets. Refrigerate for 20 to 40 minutes until firm
Notes
- Make-Ahead / Freezing: The unglazed, syrup-soaked cakes wrap beautifully and can be frozen for up to one month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before applying the warm glaze.
- Storage: Store the finished cake tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Ingredient Substitutes: Honey can be swapped 1:1 for invert sugar/mizuame, but will slightly change the flavor profile.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 65mg | Sugar: 34g