This was one of those moments when all I had to do was see the photo and I was hooked. Line and sinker. Well, the name didn’t hurt. I love cakes made with brown sugar, what’s NOT to love about chocolate chips in a pound cake and then…the pièce de résistance. Maple Espresso Glaze. Done and done.
I had a conversation this past week with a fellow food blogger and client and it was interesting to hear about blogging from a writer’s perspective. The need to blog but nothing really comes to mind…the hated ‘writers block.’ I honestly never feel that block and wonder if the difference for me is that I blog from a cook’s perspective. I love to cook. I love to share what I make with family and friends and for over fifteen years I’ve been putting my recipes online as the easiest way to do that sharing. For most of those years it was simply a recipe; nothing more; just ingredients and instructions. My website was my own virtual version of a recipe box and it served that purpose well. With friends and family scattered all over the country, no longer did I need to type up something for one person, I simply put it online. Nothing surprised me more than when I started to hear from people I did not know who had found my site and enjoyed a dish!
My foray into blogging really was incidental. I needed to know the ins and outs of this ‘thing’ called WordPress. I’ve mentioned before that I own Kinetic Webs, a web development company. I started my web business 16 years ago after a short stint in the Internet division of a major cable company where the question du jour was, ‘Think we should consider trying to deliver the Internet via cable?’ and no, I’m not kidding!
Having this business required that I stay on top of technology and despite my years of NT servitude I was ready to make the ‘open source’ plunge. To that end I started this blog almost two years ago, entirely with the notion of transferring a couple of recipes from the ‘old girl’ at www.creative-culinary.com and using the blog primarily as a vehicle to market my Vino Luci gift products (that’s right, three different businesses; I do keep out of trouble, promise). The rest is, as they say, history. The comments starting coming; I started to develop client relationships and my company has helped develop or customize over 50 blogs since then. I find myself thoroughly immersed in the world of food blogging where it is a big part of my professional work and also a big part of my personal experience; cooking, photographs and blogging about it are a regular weekend activity.
Which brings me back to this notion of what it is exactly that I am doing. I get complimented on my writing though I don’t think of myself as a writer…it’s just me putting down the words I’m thinking at the time; my own ‘virtual’ stream of consciousness. In real life I probably talk too fast and too much and I like to think I’m sarcastic funny (as opposed to sarcastic mean!) and I don’t take this effort so seriously that I don’t want to have fun in the process (despite my threats of wrist slashing after ANOTHER Foodgawker rejection!).
While I must admit that I’ve been in creative writing classes since I was in 6th grade, honors English writing classes in high school and college (where I majored in English on the road to becoming a teacher that never happened!), I can’t say I ever really enjoyed it all that much. It’s true! But I’ve had an epiphany…maybe I do enjoy it when it’s on my own terms. When the subject is one that I decide upon. I still remember that first paper in college, ‘Describe the Word Yellow’ when the professor didn’t agree with my take on cowardice. What? Critique my style if you must…but my thoughts??? That was a bitter pill to swallow and put a damper on the whole process for an entire semester!
So, really, this post is just about a cake. A picture I saw that looked yummy (YES, YUMMY) and I wanted to make it. No family tradition, no trip, no snafu to make the story work…nothing really but a desire to make a dessert to take to a friend’s house for Easter. I hope that’s OK because I will have those days; when against all that is true about me, I will have little to say but still want to share the foods that I make here with you, my virtual friends and at my table with those in real life.
One heads up for those still reading. Hopefully by June 1, this blog will revert back to Creative Culinary. I am considering the sale of Vino Luci in the near term, I never meant for this blog to grow like it has and I just very simply want to reclaim the name I’ve associated with my recipes since 1995. I’m developing an entirely new look and am very excited about this change…and about not having to explain, ever again, that no, I am not a wine blogger (though I do love the grape); I am a food blogger and proud of it!
Brown Sugar Pound Cake with Maple Espresso Glaze
Summary: Chocolate Chips in a brown sugar pound cake with a maple and espresso glaze
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 Hour
Total time: 1 hour 30minutes
Ingredients
Cake
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 cups all purpose flour, divided
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
- 2 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp maple extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp half and half
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
Preparation Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Butter 12-cup Bundt pan. Spray pan generously with nonstick spray. Dust pan lightly with flour.
- Mix chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons flour in medium bowl.
- Sift remaining flour with baking soda, baking powder, and salt into another medium bowl.
- Using electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in vanilla extract and maple extract.
- Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Mix in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
- Fold in chocolate chip mixture.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan, spreading evenly.
- Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan, about 1 hour.
- Cool cake in pan on rack 30 minutes. Invert cake onto rack and cool completely.Glaze
- Combine powdered sugar, maple syrup, half and half, melted butter and espresso powder in medium bowl. Whisk until smooth, adding more half and half by 1/2 teaspoonfuls if glaze is too thick to drizzle. Spoon glaze decoratively over top of cake; let stand at room temperature until glaze is firm, about 1 hour.
DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and let stand at room temperature.
Mixing the chocolate chips with a little flour before adding them to the batter helps the chips stay evenly suspended in the batter and evenly distributed throughout the baked cake (otherwise, they may sink to the bottom). I used Double Chocolate Chips from Guittard and they are larger than normal chocolate chips so….this technique didn’t really help. The did sink a bit to the bottom, in this care, the top but no one complained!
Recipe slightly revised from Bon Appetit magazine
I’ve included this recipe in the Easter Cake Bake at A Slice of Cherry Pie. While not pastel or just for the kids…it sure was a hit for OUR Easter dinner.
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I think I gained weight just looking at your photos and then I read your wonderful writing. I look forward to your evolution and you know I’ll follow you where ever you go…. ok… that sounded a bit scary but you get it :)
– View Lael Hazan @educatedpalate most recent post: A Sexy Side Dish- Potatoes with Truffle Salt Recipe –
I do get it Lael; we are a mutual admiration society! Such kind words; thank you so much.
I swear you should open up a bake shop. Beautiful Barb!
– View Lea Ann most recent post: Crab Cakes Benedict With Spicy Hollandaise Sauce –
Thanks so much Lea Ann; you do burgers and I’ll bake?
Holy moses, this looks like heaven! I can’t believe how beautiful it is- nice job!
– View Shellina most recent post: Recipe- Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Chutney Meat Candy –
Thanks so much!
You are a good writer and I wouldn’t recommend any other web developer to an aspiring food blogger. You are one talented gal. Thanks for sharing your story and the photos of that cake. Looks out of this world!
– View Sara @ Saucy Dipper most recent post: Green Chile Makes a Meal –
I love you too…you coming Saturday I hope?
this looks fantastic! do you think this could be made in jars for teacher appreciation week (cuz it will make a lot of appreciative gifts)!
Sorry for the late reply but I would think so. Even if you put some of the glaze on the top it would be fine. I like the cake fine without the glaze but I do think it benefits from being warmed a bit. And…I would suggest mini chips to make sure they stay distributed during baking.
What a beautiful cake! Your new domain/redesign plans sound really exciting. Can’t wait to see what you come up with, this site is already gorgeous!
– View Yuri most recent post: Yuca fries –
Not only is this a stunning cake, but it was a wonderful post to read and to learn more about you, Barb.
Thanks Dara…I share occasionally; too much and you would be telling me to shutup!
Barb you’ve outdone yourself. Can’t even imagine a bite of this luxe dessert and sat mesmerized at the first photo before realizing I’d been starring at my screen for an awkward amount of time. Incredible photos. Will be anxious to see what lies before you on the blogging website front…
– View Boulder Locavore most recent post: Great Salad Dressing recipes and Perfect Spring Gift Idea! –
Beautiful cake Barb. I mean, how can you go wrong with two sticks of butter and maple flavoring? On the other side, I’m looking forward to seeing your new look and “new” name.
– View Karen Harris most recent post: A Dessert Fit for a Future King –
Looks wonderful! I saw this in bon appetit and thought they did not do the cake any justice. The “check it out online recipes” are always an after thought.
One look at this and all I can think of is: Morning coffee and a slice…or three…of this. My word that looks fantastic. You combined 3 of my favorite things into 1: Chocolate chips, cake, and maple. And that espresso part ain’t too shabby either. I say this often but once our move is done I just might have to look into making this. I do need something different than cupcakes, cheesecake, or cookies.
As for writing, well, Barb you are very much a writer. You put your thoughts down on uh, screen and do so eloquently. And based on my many phone conversations with you you are definitely sarcastic funny.
I would so lick the screen of my computer if no one was watching. This looks absolutely sinfully delicious! I want some of it!!!
– View Robyn | Add a Pinch most recent post: Hot Pimento Cheese Dip –
Oh wow this cake looks incredible. I like anything espresso it reminds me of tiramisu. I also like how moist that cake looks. Seems like you had a nice Easter weekend. Congrats on the new plans as you move forward with the blog and business.
Thanks Shulie…I need all the luck I can get!
Oh My on a few counts! First of all, that cake is beautiful and I’m sure it was thoroughly enjoyed by all at your Easter dinner party. Secondly, I love the way your write your posts and really wish that you still had a copy of your paper describing the word yellow. It would be a delight to read your perspective on cowardice. Finally, congratulations on going back to the future with Creative Culinary. Looking forward to the relaunch and new look!
– View Paula most recent post: Bunnies on the fly –
Thank you my friend; I need all the encouragement I can get; it’s a risky move and I fear a bit that the change might transpire to starting over again!
You truly amaze me. Your food- simply fab. All that you do, and how well you do it all- well, I’m in awe. I just adore you to pieces ;)
Thanks Janet and you know the feeling is mutual. You are officially adopted.
A thoroughly delightful – and inspiring – essay, accompanied by fabulous photos of a delicious recipe. Thank you for sharing with us, your readers!
– View An Alaskan Cooks | Alaska Food and Wine most recent post: Recipe Slow Cooked Beef Brisket and Brisket Sandwiches –
Thanks so much and my thanks to you…for being one!
I have to tell you from the beginning that I devoured your post, word by word. You are an inspiration to me in so many ways: as a mother (especially single), as a business woman (three businesses? Are you kidding me?), as a cook, and as a kind and helpful person. On top of that, you give me hope that I can tackle the treacherous waters of technology, even though I studied languages and literature in college (that teacher was not right to criticize your thoughts; but that happen to me so many times with teachers – they are sometimes too vain to accept another’s opinion:)
I saw your photo of this cake, and I knew I had to make it, just like you. But I will have to wait until same later day, as I am trying my best to shed several pounds that magically appeared around my waist:)
Thanks!
– View Lana most recent post: It Puts the Eggs in the Basket It Does This Whenever It’s Told! –
Thank you so much Lana; your sweet comment made my day.
I love this post–and the real thought behind it…whatever you call it, and whatever you do with, it will be successful. But remember: it has to be fun-or really, why do it!
My lunch hour just turned into torture :) That is stunning and I could eat the whole cake all on my own.
– View Tickled Red most recent post: Happy Easter –
Which is why I had to have some place to take it. We could do some damage between us I’m sure.
this looks…dangerously delicious! wow.
Oh my, this looks heavenly. Love the idea of that glaze!
– View Fresh and Foodie most recent post: Melt in Your Mouth Candied Peanut Butter Cookies –
Read every word. The dessert and photos are both gorgeous. Cannot wait to see what the future has in store :-)
This looks absolutely fabulous! I love everything about pound cake and it’s great that you can just drizzle on the frosting it looks fantastic! I have bookmarked this recipe and know I will be trying it. I looked around your blog – it is great and I will definitely be back to visit, thanks!
– View The Café Sucré Farine most recent post: Butterhorns with Vanilla Bean Icing – Here- There and Everywhere! –
Thank you for the sweet comment…and welcome!
OMG, that pound cake looks fantastic! I’m bookmarking this recipe.
Cheers,
Rosa
It is 9:55am, I just made peanut butter brownies last night, am whining over the 5 lbs I gained on vacation, and am seriously thinking of going back into the kitchen to make this. I don’t know whether to curse you or hug you? :-)
– View Kimmy @ Lighter and Local most recent post: Butter Rum Blondies –
Sorry?
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