Strawberry Rhubarb Chocolate Drizzled Pound Cake

At first glance, you might see a beautiful pound cake but the beginning stages of its making frightened me.

I began creating a recipe for what I’d framed in my mind as a strawberry rhubarb chocolate drizzled pound cake that I had never made nor seen before; alas the ingredients that I thought out in my head were before me. Counted out the 6 eggs needed for the recipe and before you knew it I was off to the races. Starting with the whipping of butter and ending with adding flour to the batter. I had to pause the making of this cake because of the lack of milk. After waking in the morning, attending an agricultural workshop titled “Overwintering: Crop Selection, Techniques & Practical Tips”, and then going to the store to pick up the milk and a few more ingredients for other cakes, I could finally resume the “strawberry rhubarb chocolate drizzled pound cake.”

The batter was complete and now we pour into our greased and floured bunt pan. Loading the cake into the oven was liberating. Waiting for it to not burn was nerve-racking as it was my first time making this cake AND making it for a group of people to examine and taste only added to the pressure; I wanted it to look its best. I took the cake out with an hour of baking time and flipped it over to remove it from my family’s passed-down metal bundt pan. With low expectations due to the fresh-cut strawberries placed in the center two layers possibly adding too much moisture, I had a tingling of nerves screaming from within my body. With a resounding “Hallelujah” the cake came out of the pan cleaner than I could ever imagine. I let it rest up a bit before drizzling the top with semi-sweet chocolate followed by a strawberry rhubarb compote. Unplanned but it wasn't until I dusted powdered sugar on top of this dessert that I fell in love with this visibly plump pound cake.

My respect for the use of rhubarb in this recipe comes from childhood. Nanny, my grandmother on my mother’s side, grew and I believe still to this day grows rhubarb to use in her cooking, preserving, and baking.

Thank God for Grandmothers whose actions speak louder than words.

Now we taste test!