A little indulgence…My vanilla-chocolate pound cake is tender and moist. The luscious vanilla cake is marbled with deep chocolate veins. It is the perfect accompaniment to your favorite mid-morning or afternoon break. Tea time is one of my favorite times of the day.

 Growing up in Guyana, teatime was a common practice.  In Haiti, it is practically unheard of. The first time I invited some ladies to tea, it was such a novelty. Most had never done this. Haiti has a coffee culture, and in fact, ’tisanes’ are commonly consumed and not black or green teas.

I miss this tradition I grew up knowing so well as my mother was well known for her wonderful tea parties and “high tea”.

Today with our busy lives and late working days, it is almost impossible to stop between 3-5 pm for a tea party. However, you can make this cake and share with people you love at any time and for no particular occasion. Whether they are a tea or coffee drinker, they will be glad you did.

I love the tradition of teatime. It’s that perfect break in the afternoon when for a short while I can stop, make my favorite tea, usually Earl Grey or Irish tea and enjoy a slice of cake or something savory. This cake is a good one for such a break as it is a little dense but it is also velvety and comforting, and yet not so naughtily indulgent that you can’t have dinner a few hours later on.

I take about 3/4 cup of my pound cake batter out and to it, I add dark cocoa powder, a splash of cream and some coffee crystals and vanilla.Then I incorporate the chocolate batter in swirls into the pound cake.

When I take it out of the oven there is a patchwork pattern on the crust. It’s beautiful to see the way it all melds together. A perfect matchup!

You could serve it plain, it’s pretty awesome alone, but I did add a little chocolate buttercream; just to seal the deal!

I hope you feel inspired to bake this cake soon. Tea time is calling…!