A LIGHT CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened natural (not Dutch-process) cocoa powder*
3/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cold large egg
2 cold large egg whites
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (such as Medaglia d'Oro) (or 1 1/4 teaspoons instant coffee powder or crystals)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1/2 cup cold low-fat milk
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 6-cup tube pan with vegetable oil spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add butter, egg and egg whites. Beat exactly 2 minutes with an electric mixer on medium speed. When dry ingredients are moistened but not wet, increase speed to high and beat until the 2 minutes are up.

Combine espresso powder, vanilla and milk; add to batter. Beat at high speed exactly 2 more minutes. Scrape batter into pan and spread evenly.

Bake in lower third of oven just until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool completely.

Serve dusted with powdered sugar, if desired.

*You must use natural cocoa as produced by Hershey's and Nestle to remove nearly all its cocoa butter. Dutch-process cocoa will interact badly with the baking soda.

Servings: 12
Adapted from source: Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate by Alice Medrich