Cinnamon-Chocolate-Chip Poundcake

While flipping through the July issue of Martha Stewart Living, I found a selection on poundcake. Here, Martha offers a Classic Poundcake recipe, along with several variations to suit your appetite.

At the time, I was going nuts in the kitchen preparing meals to freeze in anticipation of our newest little boy. I very quickly added this pound cake to my list - I figured it would be perfect to serve to guests who stopped by to visit Daniel.

I started with the Classic recipe but then couldn't decide between the Chocolate Chip and the Cinnamon Raisin. I decided to combine them, and a Cinnamon-Chocolate-Chip Pound Cake was born!

(I chose to leave off the glaze since I didn't know how that would freeze. While I'm sure it would have been delicious, I didn't miss it!)

I found this obscenely easy to put together. It froze beautifully, and tasted absolutely fabulous. I think my only "complaint" is that my chocolate chips sank... but it did add an interesting layer!

Ingredients

• 1 pound (3 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 4 sticks softened unsalted butter, plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 9 large, room-temperature eggs
• 2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 5-by-9-inch loaf pans. Combine all-purpose flour and salt in a bowl.

Cream butter and sugar with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, for 8 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to medium, and add vanilla extract.

Lightly beat eggs, and add to mixer bowl in 4 additions, mixing thoroughly after each and scraping down sides. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture in 4 additions, mixing until just incorporated. Fold chocolate chips into finished batter. Divide batter in half. Fold cinnamon into 1 half. Scoop batters into 2 prepared pans, 1/2 cup at a time, alternating plain and cinnamon. Swirl with a knife. Tap on counter to distribute; smooth tops.

Bake until a tester inserted into center of each cake comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Yields two loaves.