The Bad News Baker

Despite my passion for cooking, I must admit I haven’t quite mastered the art of baking. I am what I like to call, the “Bad News Baker”. Why is it that I can make the tastiest meals, and fail completely when it comes to the sweet stuff? Case in point – the birthday cheesecake that I made for my husband was flatter than Kate Hudson’s chest (pre-boob job). Case #2 - the Sour Cream Coffee cake that I made for Easter tasted like drywall (not that I’ve tasted drywall, it’s just what I assume it would taste like). I could go on, but I think you get my point.

You’d think since I have such a sweet tooth, that I would be a master in the dessert department. Apparently there are some talents that my mother didn’t pass along to me. That being said, if the “Bad News Baker” finds a recipe that she can do with success, I feel that it’s my duty to share it. To all those baking-challenged people of the world, this Brown Sugar Pound Cake is for you…

Brown Sugar and Chocolate Chip Pound Cake with Maple-Espresso Glaze

Cake
Nonstick vegetable spray
1 12-oz. pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
3 cups flour, divided
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups (packed) golden brown sugar
2 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. maple extract
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbl. pure maple syrup
2 Tbl. (or more) whipping cream
1 ½ tsp. instant espresso powder

For Cake: Preheat oven to 325º. Butter 12-cup Bundt or Angel Food pan. Spray pan generously with nonstick spray. Dust pan lightly with flour. Mix chocolate chips and 2 Tbl. flour in medium bowl and set aside. 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 min. Beat in vanilla and maple extracts. 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 min. Invert cake onto rack and cool complete.

For Glaze: Combine powdered sugar, maple syrup, 2 tablespoons cream, and espresso powder in medium bowl. Whisk until smooth, adding more cream by ½ teaspoonfuls if glaze is too thick.
Source: Bon Appetit Magazine

The cake is pretty rich, but of course that didn’t stop me from cutting big slices. What can I say; I’ve got to satisfy my sweet tooth! Plus, I was proud that I finally produced a baked-good for my family that didn’t deliver bad news along with it!

--the daughter