Happy Canada Day - and happy poundcake

I have accomplished what I only dream about - I only made new recipes this weekend. No more shall I use my oldies but goodies as a safety net. I can tackle the strangers with gusto.

It was moving weekend for my sister, as well as dear old Canada Day where many a BBQ was lit and many a hamburger scorched. At least at our BBQ there were a few casualties. My project was to come up with dessert which was certainly fine with me. I am always excited to bring dessert and, as most of the people at the BBQ were relatives, I felt it was safe to try the cake recipe that has been sitting patiently in my Inbox thanks to Canadian Baker. Poundcake, I find, is always greasy moist and has a sickly sweet after taste. That is not what I wanted at all for this dessert. I wanted dense crumbs and a real coconut flavor to offset the chocolate fudge and vanilla bean icecream that I was going to pile on top of the slices. Sure enough, it was delicious. Now this recipe is actually a chocolate and coconut swirled pound cake which was fine and I might make again but, in all honesty, I think I would cut out the chocolate portion (I know, I really did say cut the chocolate!), and increase the coconut. It was not sweet at all so I should have added more sweetened coconut flakes and I might have added more vanilla if I hadn't been too nervous.

I will definitely be putting this cake on a recipe card and using it again. I think it would be delicious with macerated berries and whipping cream to take it in a different direction, but then again, hot fudge and icecream is always en vogue!

Lily's Marble Cake
from Canadian Baker's blog
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup whole milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 large eggs
1/4 cup cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
1 1/2 cups shredded, sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
In measuring cup, combine the milk and vanilla. Set aside.
In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar and salt and continue to mix well for about 3 more minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well to combine after each addition.
Alternately add the milk mixture and the flour mixture in 3 additions.
Continue mixing for 5 minutes (beating a long time is important here).
Stir one third of the batter into the cocoa powder in a medium bowl.
Stir the coconut into the remaining golden batter.
Pour the golden batter into the prepared pan, then drop large dollops of the chocolate batter into it. Cut through the batter once or twice with a table knife to make chocolate marble pattern. Do not stir.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a skewer or toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool in the pan. Invert onto a platter (for the best taste, cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight. Slice into wedges for serving. Cake keeps well at room temperature for up to 4 days. Makes 12 servings.