While living in Los Angeles, I was fortunate to have had a great, really really cared about her patients, kind of doctor. She was my Primary Care Physician in Century City and, while some may have thought her methods to be too thorough and maybe too cautious, I really liked her.
When I turned 35, Dr. Cho stressed that I start having regular mammograms. I was doing the self breast examination but had never even thought about the M word.
A mammogram at age 35? I wasn’t 40.
She told me studies showed that it was better to start the mammograms earlier and it was better to be safe than sorry. There were a few other reasons why and she was my doctor and I trusted her. So, at age 36, I had my first mammogram. The next year, I had my second and this time, they found something. Or something that they were not certain about and needed to run my images to the lab etc etc. I think I had to wait almost 5 days.
The longest 5 days of my life.
It was nothing. And I was and am fine. So, why am I writing about this?
It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I’m honored to be participating in KitchenAid’s Cook for the Cure/Pass the Plate Project. And while I am certainly NOT suggesting that everyone at the age of 35 needs to go and get a mammogram, I am encouraging those who are 40 and older, who have never had a mammogram yet, to ask your doctor about when is the best time for you to have it done.
What is Pass the Plate?
KitchenAid partnered with Jacques Pépin to create a unique and beautiful design on a Villeroy and Boch plate. How “Pass the Plate” works: Buy the plate, register your plate on KitchenAid’s website, make a dish, serve it on the plate and then “pass” it to a friend. Your friend does the same thing: registers the plate on KitchenAid’s website, makes a dish, serves it on the plate and “passes” or sends it to another friend. This can go on forever, and each time someone new registers the plate, KitchenAid will donate $5 to Susan G. Komen®. You and your friends can also track your plate online to see where it has been passed.
Isn’t that wonderful?
In honor of Jacques Pepin’s design on the plate, I decided to bake his favorite Pound Cake. With 2 1/2 sticks of butter, I knew this pound cake would be delicious. Jacques likes to fold in candied citrus peels to make a French fruit cake and he also loves plain slices of pound cake dipped in espresso. I had some Gingerbread Spice Chocolate from Theo Chocolate so I couldn’t resist.
I hope you enjoy!
Jacques Pépin's Favorite Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the pound cake:
- 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 cup milk at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour
For the chocolate ganache:
- 16 ounces good quality chocolate milk, dark, bittersweet, whatever you prefer; chopped
- about 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
For the pound cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter or spray a 10-by-5-inch loaf pan.
- In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar, vanilla and salt at medium speed until fluffy, for about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 2 at a time, beating between additions. Beat in the milk. Sift the flour over the batter and mix it in until smooth. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the surface.
- Bake the cake for 1 1/2 hours, until it is cracked down the center, golden on top, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 10-15 minutes, then unmold the cake gently and let cool completely.
For the ganache:
- Place the chopped chocolate pieces in a medium sized mixing bowl and set aside. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until small bubbles appear on the outside edge of the cream. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate. Using a wire whisk, gently stir from the middle out, until all of the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Pour the ganache on the cooled pound cake and enjoy.
Recipe from FoodandWine.com.
THE GIVEAWAY
(for residents within the United States only)
For a chance to win your very own limited-edition Jacques Pepin uniquely designed plate, enter this giveaway! Keep it for yourself, register it, give it to someone special. Totally up to you. I purchased two on my own and gave one to my dear blogging friend, Nancy at Gotta Get Baked and one to my Washington BFF, Jen Collins. Can’t wait to see what these two bake and serve on their lovely plates.
“Cook for the Cure® gives people with a passion for cooking a way to support a meaningful cause. The program raises funds
and awareness for the fight against breast cancer. From pink products and celebrity chef auctions to home-based fundraising
events, this partnership between KitchenAid and Susan G. Komen® has raised more than $9 million over the past decade.”
The best way to fight breast cancer is to have a plan that helps you detect the disease in its early stages. Create your Early Detection Plan to receive reminders to do breast self-exams, and schedule your clinical breast exams and mammograms based on your age and health history.
Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by KitchenAidUSA.
I’d bake either one of my banana breads or a pumpkin roll.
I love my plate so much, Alice. I can’t wait to make something to serve on it. What a fabulous cause. I think it’s awesome you made a Jacques Pepin recipe since he designed the plate. I don’t make a lot of pound cakes (they always turn out so dry) but this one looks moist ‘n dense, just how a good pound cake should be. And covered in chocolate ganache…droooool… I haven’t tried the Theo gingerbread chocolate bar yet. I’m trying to be disciplined and eat them slowly so that I can enjoy them longer.
Fantastic! I remember watching Jacques Pepin when I was a kid, maybe he’s responsible for where I am now 🙂 Love this cake!!
I am a big fan of pound cake and this looks delicious. I make sure that I schedule my annual mammogram every October, and hopefully one day there will be a cure to this horrible disease.
What a great cause and a beautiful plate to go along with it! Also this cake, I love Jacques Pepin and frankly, I think anything from him would be flawless. I can just tell from these photos that this is one moist and delicious tasting pound cake. Plus you took it to a whole other level with that chocolate ganache.
I just love this cake, Alice. I forget how nice it is to sometimes have a fantastic pound cake for a snack or for breakfast. Yours is just perfect! And this is for such a great cause. I’m happy your scare turned out to be nothing. It is so important to get checked. Love the plate (all of them are beautiful!) xx
Thank you so much, Lora!
I would make lemon bars! I love Jacques Pepin, my mother took me to a cooking demonstration he did when I was a kid, back in the 70s! It’s a beautiful plate and a very important cause, too.
What a wonderful cause I am very passionate about supporting breast cancer my moms mother died from it when she was 16 so of course I never got to meet her! I am 36 and get my yearly mammogram had a scare last year and had a biopsy but it was not cancer that god! If I won this plate in honer of one of my grandmothers favorite sweet her chocolate pound cake I would serve it on and it would be a remembrance for the grandmother I never met!
This cause is very near and dear to me. I have family and friends that have been affected by breast cancer. I am very thankful for the ones that are survivors. I have a hope that one day the cure WILL be found and no one else will lose a family member or friend to this disease. I definitely would bake this fabulous pound cake recipe and serve it on this beautiful plate 🙂
I think I’d make the pound cake or chocolate chip cookies.
Pound cake is my favorite, can’t wait to try this recipe.
I’m excited to get this started with our Women’s fellowship and see how far it goes!
Hi Tonya! I love that idea! 🙂
What a beautiful plate! Why, of course, I’d have to make and serve the pound cake!
Pound cake is my absolute favorite cake. This sounds like a good recipe. Kitchen Aid and pound cake. Let’s find a cure.
I have several of Chef Pepin’s cookbooks. It would be very cool to be able to serve one of those dishes on one of his dishes that he designed.
What a marvelous cause, and a delectable, moist pound cake!!! Such a great message/reminder about mammograms…they save so many lives. Glad your scare was just a false alarm! xo
ah, thank you Liz!
In the oven – as we speak. It’s totally worth it to wait up for this one.
I have a 9×5 loaf pan, so I had enough left over to fill 2 small ramekins. If they work out, they might make their way over to the neighbors. Or they will go in the freezer. Or they will just be hoarded by me.
oh cool!! let me know how you like it! 🙂
Thank you for offering this giveaway! I would bake up some banana bread muffins and have a great breakfast with my kids! Enjoying the everyday moments.
Such a creative way of helping out, I love this type of iniciative Alice, and am not surprised you’re all taking part! The pound cake sounds amazing too, and you added chocolate sauce… even better!
I can imagine how tense the waiting was. So happy everything turned out all right. Such a great cause and collaboration. I would love a slice of the cake now way past midnight on the East Coast! 🙂
Thank you for this giveaway! I love pound cake!
I do not have a nice serving plate after I broke my great-grandmas one I was heart broken. She always used it for putting cookies out for santa. She gave it to me before she passed since she knew I am the baker in my family. I would use this plate as a replacement plate.
This plate is beautiful. I am always looking for pretty serving dishes. I love that it supports the cure!! I would serve cookies on it!
I would totally make a sour cream coffee cake for this plate!
that pund cake recipe looks marvelous!
I love beautiful serving plates, and this would be wonderful to serve even savory dishes on – like short ribs! I unfortunately can’t bake to save my life.