Italian pound cake
6 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| ½ | pounds | Butter | 
| ⅔ | pounds | Ricotta cheese | 
| 1⅔ | cup | Sugar | 
| 8 | teaspoons | Sugar | 
| 5 | Eggs | |
| 2 | teaspoons | Vanilla | 
| 2 | cups | Cake flour | 
| 4 | teaspoons | Whipping cream | 
| ¼ | teaspoon | Salt | 
| Grated semi-sweet chocolate or sliced strawberries | ||
| 1 | teaspoon | Vanilla | 
| FROSTING | ||
| 8 | ounces | Semi-sweet chocolate bits | 
| ½ | cup | Strong brewed coffee | 
| 10 | tablespoons | Unsalted butter, chilled | 
Directions
CAKE/FILLING
Cake:  Cream butter, slowly adding sugar until light.  Add eggs one at a time.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Bake in buttered and floured 9 x 5 loaf pan at 325 degrees for 1-¼ to 1½ hours or until done. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before turning onto rack. Slice horizontally into three sections. 
Filling:  Combine first four ingredients in blender until smooth. 
Fold in grated chocolate or strawberries.  Spread evenly between layers.
Frosting:  Melt chocolate with coffee over very low heat. Beat in butter a small amount at a time.  Continue beating until thick and of spreading consistency.  Frost cake and garnish.