Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

3/4 c Currants, dried
3 tb Cognac
1 1/2 c Flour
1 1/2 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Cinnamon
3/8 ts Salt
6 tb Half and half
1 t Vanilla
5 oz Chocolate, ex-bittersweet
2 tb Flour
3/4 c Butter -- room temp
1 c Sugar
3 Egg -- room temp
Sugar
Semisweet chocolate curls -(garnish)

Heat currants and Cognac in small saucepan until just warm. Cover
mixture and let stand 1 hour.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 deg. Butter 6-cup fluted tube cake pan or 9x5-inch loaf pan. (Line loaf pan with waxed paper; butter paper.) Dust pan with flour. Sift 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into medium bowl. Drain soaking liquid from currants into half and half. Add vanilla. Pat currants dry. Combine currants, bittersweet chocolate and 2 tablespoons flour in small bowl. Using electric mixer, cream butter in large bowl. Add 1 cup sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix flour and half and half mixtures alternately into butter, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Using spatula, fold in chocolate mixture. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake cake until center is springy to touch, about 1 hour.

Cool cake in pan on rack 15 minutes. Run knife around cake. Invert onto rack. Peel off paper and cool cake completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or spread glaze over top, allowing some to drip down sides. Garnish with chocolate curls.