My Girl, Paula: Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Did I really need to join up with another blog group? Well if the group happens to be making items from The Lady & Sons, Too! cookbook by Paula Deen, then then answer has to be a whole-hearted "YES!" I've had the book for several years now, and by a wonderful stroke of luck, it's been autographed. Some friends (Thanks, Mr. & Mrs. B!) were guests for what was the precursor to the show "Paula's Party," and they were kind enough to bring my book along to get it autographed. By Paula Deen, her husband Michael, AND brother Bubba no less!

My inaugural item for the "My Girl, Paula" group was an epic fail. I don't know what happened. Really. What began as a gloriously tall chocolate chip bundt cake morphed into an ugly, shrunken brick with a dense and gummy ring throughout. I was so sad, yet 99.99% certain that the cake was baked completely. The recipe was followed exactly--no substitutions, and the cake was even in the oven for an additional 10 minutes for good measure. Multiple toothpick tests came out clean, so I don't know how I could've botched this one. Observe:

No worries though. A quick online search yielded another Paula Deen chocolate chip pound cake recipe--this one used less pudding and liquid, so I was more confident for a successful outcome. I found the recipe here at Perry's Plate. Wanting a cake reminiscent of a chocolate chip cookie, I used butterscotch pudding mix in place of chocolate and brown sugar instead of white. (And only 6 oz. of mini chips, since that's all I had after using the other half of the bag in my first attempt) The result? See for yourself:

Sweet success! So although my first adventure with the My Girl, Paula group had its challenges, I'm glad I will be participating and cooking my way through The Lady & Sons, Too! book. That's right, I said cooking. As in, not just baking anymore! I probably won't be making every recipe for the month, but I'll definitely try to keep up with the minimum two required by the group. Squash casserole is on the menu for this month, and I'm definitely looking forward to that one! ♥