Sour Cream Chocolate Pound Cake

This cake is extremely moist.  And the perfect recipe if you're looking to make something smaller than a full-size pound cake.

1 cup boiling water
2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
½ cup (1 stick) softened butter
1¾ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup sour cream, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, pour boiling water over chocolate. Stir to blend, then cool; set aside (about 20 minutes).

Place butter in the mixing bowl of an electric mixer. With the speed set to medium, cream butter with sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, beating just until the yellow disappears.

Mix together flour, soda and salt. With speed set to low, add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream. Mix until combined, scraping bowl once to blend; do not overmix.

 Mix in cooled chocolate, then vanilla just until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 1 loaf. To freeze, tightly wrap in double layers and store in the freezer for up to three months.