Bingo!!! THE definitive chocolate cake recipe!

OK, so I have not been doing much blogging in light of the birth of my our little one--five weeks old this past Wednesday! I will say I DID make the banana bundt cake that everyone made a few weeks ago and LOVED it...but did not take photos...so I never made it an official posting!

Long before joining Tuesdays with Dorie baking club--and since joining--I have often lamented that I have not found 'THE' chocolate cake recipe that offers a 'box cake' moistness...

NOTE; this in no way is to offend Dorie Greenspan--my take is I am just not making her recipes for chocolate cake up to her standards! So THIS recipe I have found is super easy, (i.e. "dummy-proof") and gave me the cake texture I've been seeking....so just to be sure I point out that I'm sure if I had the exact technique that Dorie has, I would deem HER chocolate cake recipe the 'one'!)

The search is over (cue Survivor), I found the recipe today and I AM SO EXCITED! Well, actually I did not find it today, I had heard of it for some time..

Fellow TWD blogger, Nancy, of The Dogs Eat the Crumbs, told me in a comment in February to try Martha Stewart's 'One Bowl Chocolate Cake. It's taken me until NOW to do so.

The occasion was Dear Husband's birthday. He LOVES chocolate cake--problem is he does NOT love frosting..therefore, it leaves little room for error when doing scratch cakes. When a cake lacks moistness--I just slather on more frosting and drink more milk. He, on the other hand, has been stuck with many a dry mouthful of chocolate cake, and I'm sure has wished on many an occasion that I just do the 'box cake' and be done with it. And I almost did this year..almost!

Knowing the Birthday Boy does not enjoy frosting on cake-and knowing we were having our friends over for dinner led me to determine that cupcakes would be best--I could frost some, and leave others as they are.

I found Martha's One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes, which is basically taking the cake recipe and halving it. It's not only the BEST texture and moistness--it's the simplest recipe! Sift all dry ingredients in the mixer bowl..then add the liquid ingredients, mix until blended and presto! Cake batter! Indeed its simple nature made this a very "baby-friendly" recipe! I stopped and started about 3 times and never worried that I lost my place in the recipe! Plus, if needed I could do some of it with one hand while I held him in the other arm (I actually cracked 2 eggs with one hand with no shrapnel!)

And so now I've got it--THE recipe for a perfect chocolate cake--and in plenty of time for Jason's first birthday!

Next time I think I'll branch out and fill some with whipped cream a la "Hostess" and maybe do some peanut butter frosting/filling a la "Funny Bones." But for now, I'm just thrilled with having a go-to chocolate cake recipe! Thank you, Martha--and thank you Nancy for turning me onto it!

TWD: Blueberry Crumb Cake

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was chosen by Sihan, of the blog, Befuddlement. I urge you to visit her blog for the recipe, because you won't be disappointed!

I am such a sucker for anything slightly resembling a coffee cake....My 2 sisters and I get this from our Mom, of that I am sure. She was a big fan of coffee treats/coffee cakes. Back in the day it was Viking...then it was Entenmann's..and sometimes a Sara Lee..and other times Mom would whip up her own quick breads--orange, lemon---the almond was my favorite because it reminded me of Stella D'oro breakfast treats (ANOTHER fave of mom's).

These days my sisters and I will let each other know if anyone spots a Sara Lee Butter Streusel Coffee Cake--that was 'THE' coffee cake for the 3 of us--we could polish off an entire cake on a Sunday morning easily!


To this day when my sisters and I gather, we usually make a point to set the meeting time for late morning--I think it's because we all know it means an extra pot of coffee...and treats of some sort!

I wish I had a gathering planned when I made this blueberry crumb cake, because it would fit the bill so perfectly!

I made it a few weeks back upon seeing that fresh blueberries were on sale at my grocery store. Everything came together so easily for the batter--this and the yogurt cake were such simple recipes that taste like they take more effort than they truly do!

I took for granted that I had walnuts in the house--and found that I actually barely had any--only had 1/2 of what the recipe called for--so I used half walnut-half slivered almonds for the topping--came out great!

The only downfall was the top came out baked a bit more well-done than I wanted...I sacrificed the edges and topping to be sure the middle was baked through. It was not burned by any means, but it just meant the pieces closest to an edge were drier than I wanted.



I brought half into work, and Dear Husband and I enjoyed the other half. Everyone seemed to really like this one..

I can't wait to make this summer when I can get out and pick some blueberries locally ...I have a favorite blueberry cobbler recipe--so this will be a nice spin on another blueberry recipe when I end up with more blueberries than one can shake a stick at and am looking for something beyond muffins and cobbler!




It's been starred in Dorie's cookbook for me now...2 weeks in a row, 2 home run recipes!!

TWD:FRENCH YOGURT CAKE (sans marmalade)

This week, on Tuesdays With Dorie--follow Lisa as she goes hunting to 4 stores for lemon marmalade....and a small container of 'plain' yogurt that is not 'Greek'...

OK, so the official name of the recipe this week was French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze ....but I fell short both the 'yogurt' and 'marmalade' ingredients..but thankfully I still came up with a great tasting cake!!

I made this a few weekends ago when we found ourselves with a cold rainy day here in the Northeast...



I decided it was an opportune afternoon for a cozy treat. I trekked out and basically hit any epicure/grocery store I could find and sought out the 'lemon marmalade'....guess what folks, it's just not in these here 'parts.' I found lemon curd, orange marmalade-but never marmalade of the lemon persuasion. If that wasn't bad enough, the only plain yogurt I could find was in those huge tubs...no store had just 'plain' yogurt in the handy single-serving portions...there was every other flavor you can think of (and some I would rather not think of)....I saw Greek yogurt in those smaller size containers, but knowing that Dorie ALSO has a version of this that uses Greek yogurt made me think it is not the same flavor as 'plain.' I did not want to buy the big tub o' plain, because I knew I'd have little use for the majority of it as the recipe did not call for all that much (and I do have a habit of buying a special ingredient for a recipe that I only use a small amount of, leaving me with a lot of waste/leftover that I tell myself I will use, but never do...) So after about 4 stores I made 2 executive decisions:

1- use a lemon juice+confectioners sugar glaze recipe Dorie mentions in the 'Bundt Cake' section of the book (I think it was under the Banana Bundt Cake recipe, just fyi)

2- don't go buying the huge container of plain yogurt--go with my favorite Stonyfield Organic Vanilla yogurt....vanilla -vs- plain isn't all that 'off'

The cake came together rather easily....QUESTION: I had some slivered almonds that I ground in the processor as the recipe calls for, but the almonds still had the 'brown' outer to it--was that right? I'm thinking I should have used the almonds that have all that outer layer off of it...because my batter looked rather freckled due to that...but hey, if you ask anyone (except Jan Brady) freckles aren't all THAT bad....they add character.


So the cake came TOGETHER easily...but did not want to lift out of the bread pan easily....I was so disappointed....I think I may have tried to get it out of the pan too soon....guess I was too excited. So some chunks from it were left over in the bottom...I tried to scrape it out and 'patch' it back to the underside of the cake....thankfully this was not going to be served to any guests!


BUT it did mean I was able to 'test' the cake sooner than I thought...I grabbed some from the remnants in the pan and was DELIGHTED at the taste!!

I whipped up the lemon juice-confectioners sugar glaze for the top and it settled in nicely to the texture of the cake...





This will MOST DEFINITELY be a go-to recipe for me (I will make at Easter no doubt!) I can't say I taste 'vanilla' all that much, so don't think my substitution of vanilla yogurt for plain made a bad influence....

The recipe this week was chosen by Liliana of My Cookbook Addiction (one of my favorite blog names in our Tuesdays With Dorie community!) Visit her blog for fantastic creations, and for this recipe!!

Once again, thanks to the organizers of the this blog--and Dorie of course--I whipped up something I probably would not have found if it was not for this cookbook, and it has fast become a favorite recipe....funny, this and French Pear Tart stand out in my mind lately for my favorites...what is it with the "French" named recipes?? Je nais se quoi! (did I spell that right?)

Hope everyone enjoyed this cake as much as we did...I can't wait to make it again!!

PS: Happy St. Patrick's Day! I made the best Irish Soda Bread this weekend!! I will post photos/recipe later this week!

TWD: Devil's Food White-Out Cake

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie Recipe was chosen by Stephanie of Confessions of a City Eater...and it is not just 'any' recipe-it's the one from the very cover of our 'bible' here on TWD!



(NOTE: mine won't look like that, I'll tell you now...'close' but not quite up to Dorie standards!)

There's always a story...and here 'goes.

So I baked the cake layers on Friday night...and come to find out the baking sheet called for (it said to bake the layer pans on a cookie sheet) decided to warp in the heat of the oven (what the...?! Now I know it happens at high heat, but why this happened at a mere 350 surprised me.) So, what it meant is I had lopsided cake layers b/c the sheets tilted. I rotated half-way through hoping I could counter act this, but the damage was done I'm afraid. See??!



So then from Friday night to Saturday morning I went through my options;
- keep in 2 layers, rather than splitting each horizontally in half, but it would leave me with no cake layer to 'crumble' for the outer finishing touch (refer to book photo-there are three "1/2" layers, the 4th half-layer is then crumbled and pressed into the frosting
- try to cut the least 'slanty' one so I had the cake crumbs to add to the outer frosted finish cake, leaving me with one thick layer, one thin layer for the inside
- make a 'box' cake quickly just to have a 'crumble' cake for the outer
- None of the above, improvise, darnit--you're a creative person!

So it was then, around 12 midnight as I was mindlessly flipping channels thinking about my cake that I came up with the "save." I've got one word for you: OREOS.

So my plan became:
- keep in 2 layers, don't try to cut each uneven layer into more uneven half-layers, and make a 2-layer cake with crumbled Oreos for the outside finishing touch! Oreos being black and white perfectly fit into the theme of the cake....and not only that, but I actually had Oreos in the house! (I've been making so many Dorie treats that I have not bought cookies in ages--but I saw the 2-fer sale on them last week and grabbed them in a moment of weakness!)

So then Saturday morning was for the frosting...it seemed to take awhile for the sugar concoction to get to the right temperature..I waited and waited...my egg whites sat patiently waiting for me to give them a spin when the temp was almost 'there' so I could time it right...and I was so worried about the egg whites being done too SOON that I did not pay attention to them being done too LATE! The temp hit the appointed number and my egg whites were not ready! So then I tried to play with the heat on the sugar/water and urged my egg whites along (I'd like to think all the "c'mon! hurry up!!" yelling I did at the Kitchen Aid and egg whites did the trick!)

And so all's well that ends well..here is my yummy (and W.O.W is this frosting AMAZING!!) frosting!


I assembled the cake, frosted and threw the crushed oreos on the outside, and held back doing anything with the top..at first..


And then, because I made it on Valentine's Day, I got out my chocolate chips in regular and 'mini' size and played around a bit...here is the finished product! (Heart w/ arrow through it...or so I hope it looks that way to everyone..because it does to me! At other times, at a glance, I can't help but think those mini chips almost look like rosary beads..but really, it's a heart/arrow!)


Here is a cut slice--see? Just not that attractive--but the taste made up for the lack of 3 perfect layers. I think in hindsight the thinner layers and more frosting in between would have made it amazing..so I will try again someday and cut the layers, but I still THOROUGHLY enjoyed (and still am enjoying now on Monday night) this cake. And being a fan of Oreos, I like having them on the outside for some different texture..



Dear Husband loved the cake, so it's another winner! He's not a fan of frosting on cake type of guy, which I have come to accept (Yet I still don't understand because to me, nothing beats that perfect forkful of cake & frosting!)

I have to say this cake came out better than the chocolate cupcakes back in October, so I am one step closer to finding 'the' perfect chocolate cake (being devil's food though, not quite the perfect 'moist' cake I keep seeking). So all in all, we loved it. And again, this frosting: heavenly! I will use it for future recipes I am sure!! I truly could not stop licking the bowl...

And thanks to Nabisco, for saving the day...Oreos always were my favorite (store-bought) cookie!!

I think I shall call this version my "Dor-eo" cake!

TWD: Cheesecake! (aka: Eat Your Heart out, Golden Girls!)

Anne Strawberry, thank you for choosing Tall & Creamy Cheesecake (Baking, from my Home toYours, Dorie Greenspan) for our last recipe of 2008 on Tuesdays With Dorie! I was excited to try it, yet fearing "can I really tackle this?" I don't know why it was such a big mystery before...maybe due to the fact that it is a favorite of so many...that it became worthy of a chain of restaurants bearing its name....Yet it turns out, I followed Dorie's instructions to the letter, and darnit, I made a good gosh darn cheesecake!

I chose Dec 23rd to put it all together, not only because I did not have to work that day, more because Dear Husband DID. You see, my dear lactose intolerant mate would have probably bust an intestine seeing the lineup of the ingredients....4 packages of cream cheese...heavy whipping cream...sour cream...the man would have spontaneously combusted just looking at all of that lined up on the counter! He can regulate having dairy by doing the lactaid milk, or taking the lactaid pills before eating pizza, or lasagna....but THIS?...NO amount of medicated preventative medicine in the cabinet would have saved his digestive system. He can take LOOKING at the finished product and appreciating in the way of: "it looks good---for those of you lucky enough to digest dairy." But I thought to spare him the whole ingredient list and showing him all that went into it (kind of like not wanting to know what goes into hot dogs or sausage, I suppose?!) Of course what he didn't see was me eat a piece of it Christmas night--with a side of egg nog! He would have accused me of showing off (but oh how I adore you, my lactose-loving digestive system!!)

I followed the recipe for the filling exactly--and opted for a package of Nabisco chocolate wafter cookies as the crust--which was sooo gooooood!! I'm not one for too many flavors in the 'cake' part, so liked having a nice chocolate base for the crust. Great compliment.

VOILA! A cheesecake fit for the likes of Blanche, Rose, Dorothy & Sophia!!

I had to show this next photo only because it hit me going through my pictures how the top of the cheesecake's color looks just like the kitchen table! Even down to the bubble 'knot holes'! Maybe I'm the only one amused with that...anyway...humor me:

TWD: Chocolate Cupcakes (a.k.a "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For")

Greetings and Salutations! (as Charlotte says!)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was chosen by Clara, of I Heart Food4Thought (visit her blog for the recipe!)

I must admit, I had high hopes for this one, as I have been on a quest for the 'best/perfect' chocolate cake recipe....I've tried a couple from scratch so far, so I will admit, I've not been on the quest for long--and I am sure I will get a lot of "this was your THIRD scratch cake recipe for and you think you'll just 'find' the perfect chocolate one so soon?!!?" Ya, I know, who do I think I am?!)

I started the recipe on a bright sunny Saturday morning--Dear Husband got out to do errands early and brought me back a coffee (I opted for Dunkin' Donuts-vs- Starbucks) So with large, regular, half-decaf close by, (yes, as a matter of fact, an order at DD CAN indeed be just as involved as an order at Fourbucks) I was off and running!--or baking..Operation: Dunkin' Dorie!.

Now, these are 'good' but I fear I have to keep forging ahead and looking for 'my' chocolate cake--it's in my head, and I know I'll know it when I eat/see it...These just weren't it for me...and I feel guilty saying that..?? I looked on the site, and I don't think it was a factor of too much flour or over-mixing, I do try to be careful with that...they just are not that "moist" bite that I so wanted out of them.

OH--but I nailed the ganache!! I had ganache with panache, I tell you! But then I somewhat lamented not having a more traditional frosting to help off-set the dryness of the cake part--but still, these were tasty, and nothing a glass of milk can't handle!

I decided to get festive with them--in honor of Halloween (side note to Cathy--Elizabeth would love these sprinkles!!)

Dear Husband, my chocolate loving hero and taste-tester, declared them fabulous--and he said he was ok with the texture--and his favorite thing about them is they are not too 'sweet'--as he is a fan of dark chocolate/bittersweet. So hey, another week of putting a smile on his handsome face, so I can't complain...(I threw a lot of new stuff on him the past 2 weeks--5 alone from the same magazine issue--and happily all came out pretty darn good!) but still, I'm just not settled on this being my go-to cake. I'm going to keep testing out different recipes--I know the right one is out there for me! I guess just like Dear Husband--who, being my brother's best friend, has been in and out of my life one way or another since 4th grade, but whom I did not start dating until I was in my early 30's--my guess is that recipe is sitting right under my nose somewhere, perhaps already in my kitchen cookbook archives...it'll show itself when it's time...I just know it! (Wow, this sounds like Lord of the Rings..."one recipe to rule them ALL!!" I'll keep you posted if I stumble upon it in the shire....

In the meantime, I wanted to finally acknowledge some thoughtful awards I have been given and pass them on to 2 blogs!

My first award was given by my dear friend, Cathy at The Tortefeasor and the other from Nancy from The Dogs Eat the Crumbs. I must admit, Cathy was sweet enough to pass her award onto me a few weeks ago, but then I went off MIA, and just never got around to posting about it and adding to my blog. Cathy introduced me to Tuesdays with Dorie (or maybe she just told me about her involvement, and I just jumped in and invited myself? Now I forget)...she is one of those people who when I see or talk to, we are immediately laughing no more than 2 minutes into a conversation...her writing is all at once smart and funny--2 things that no one can 'fake'. Cathy is the real deal.

Nancy's (n.o.e) blog is one of my weekly stops, and the fact that she pointed MINE out really made my day! I have found this whole TWD/baking/cooking blog community are some of the most genuine people around--so thank you again, Nancy! (I feel like Sally Field.."You like me! You really, really LIKE me!") AND I just found out that she has connections in CT--so she's ok in my book! (gotta love the Nutmeg State!!)

So I guess the rules here are I pass some on...so here I go! I am still ramping up getting to 'know' the style of various blogs...Prudy, you come to mind first, but looks like you already have these 2 specific awards. so I thought I'd spread the love..Here are some others that come to mind lately. I will add more as I get to 'know' more blogs and folks on TWD/etc! Again, I'm thoroughly enjoying this bakin'n'bloggin!

And the awards go to....

1. Eat Real by Sandy-- I LOVE that she incorporates great photos, great tips, and all around great recipes all in one! (I am sooo making those bagels!!) I bookmarked her site the minute I saw it!

2. Bun in the Oven by Annette: Maybe it's that she came to TWD a week after I did (and was sweet to thank me for commenting on her blog, adding she thought no one read it--well we do!!) Or maybeI noticed on her profile that she lives in the same CA town that a dear friend of mine lives...or maybe it's that she not only bakes but knits, AND also adds to her profile that she loves wine and photography--and is a proud Auntie---all things that I would use to describe myself! (well, no, actually I'm really NOT a die-hard knitter, I only have a blanket and one scarf under my belt, but I so WANT to be a tried and true knitter!) Anyway, I wanted to post about her blog because while reading about her, it just struck such a chord. Plus, anyone who can successfully balance baking AND knitting needs applause!! I tend to give one up for the other....

TWD Update!

Ok, so I've been MIA the past few weeks thanks to a combination of factors. I had had a crazy work schedule preparing for a trip to Arizona..then I went ON that trip to AZ--which happily included 2 extra days down in Tucson with my Dad, which was beyond wonderful. When I got back, I was home not 2 days when I had to get a cyst removed from my foot...no worries, it's benign, but still, 5 stitches later I was not feeling up for baking and standing/etc. (Dear Husband has taken to calling me Franken-foot, as it's really scary looking wound going on--the stitches are nylon, black nylon. So on my pale-as-a-baby's-derriere-skin, it's REALLY looking rather ghoulish--I shall spare you all the Franken-foot photo!)

So, I was very bummed to miss out on a yummy chocolate cake recipe this week, but I shall return next Tuesday! (Where it's all about Almond Biscotti!)

In the meantime, I thought I'd share the last time I got my "bake on"--which was the weekend prior to aforementioned jaunt to AZ. Dear Husband and I were invited to a dinner party/overnight to Long Island, to one of my nearest and dearest--my former office mate and partner in crime at Columbia House. She and her wonderful husband met at "The House" and are now living happily ever after and had a few of us former C.H. "alumni" over for dinner. A fun time was had by all!

So, back to the baking--
I was determined to finally try my hand at a Bundt cake. Now, a bundt cake is one of those things I just love. Something about the tube-pan baking makes it just a little more 'extra' special. And then the whole drizzle of the glaze on top, and the "wonder what could be baked inside" curiosity. I have always loved the idea of them, yet have never made from scratch...actually I don't even make them from a box either.

My baking life "BD" (Before Dorie) had me storing the (then) lesser-used bake ware in the dark corners of one of the cabinets. There you will find the muffin tins, mini muffin tins, round cake pans, heart-shaped cake pan, bread pans, pie plates, weights for baking an unfilled pie crust, foil covers for a pie crust, a rolling pin cover for pie crusts, and even little cookie cutters in shapes of leaves for--you guessed it--pie crusts. I think the bread-maker is pushed waaaay back there somewhere too. You name it, I seem to have it--I just rarely USE it (which is why I love this baking club of ours!) Each time I would open up that cabinet for the muffin tin or round cake pans, I would pass over "the bundt". It has been waiting patiently for that call to glory, and the wait was finally over. I'm sure it was convinced I took it out to move it out of the way for another item, but no, this time it was for real.

I found a recipe in one of my Bon Appetit magazines for a Brown Sugar & Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Maple Espresso Glaze. Thanks to the Dorie-baking, I had just about all of the ingredients (save the buttermilk and maple extract) in the house (and as I would soon discover, corn syrup--more on that below).

I'm not a big maple fan, but I liked the espresso sound of the glaze, which called for instant espresso powder. (Would you believe I even had that in the house---totally unopened from about a YEAR ago when I wanted to try one of Giada's desserts..yea, that never saw the light of day--I'm an expert at buying ingredients, but I have a huge delay in actually MAKING recipes..again, that's why Tuesdays with Dorie has been so good for me!)

Because I did not want the maple flavor in the cake or in the glaze-- and coming home from the grocery store to realize that I missed that I would need corn syrup for the glaze--which I did not have--I turned to my trusty Big Red Book and scoured my Betty Crocker for a cake glaze recipe that would perhaps suffice. (When in doubt, I consult Betty). I found a confectioners sugar-and-water based vanilla glaze. I removed the vanilla extract from the recipe, replaced it with almond extract, and then shook in some espresso powder, and "presto" I had made an almond-espresso glaze!

(check out the "after" photo in the end of my slideshow below--THAT'S usually how my counters look after baking...my frantic mixing, getting the glaze 'just right' with confectioners suger flying everywhere--and even Dear Husband's sports page somehow got tossed aside up on the counter--I guess it was in my way and I gave it a fling!?!)

I have to say this was a huge thing for me--only because I am not one for improvising...I think that's why I enjoy baking, it's a strict recipe. I am getting better at the "cooking" and improvising here and there, but not as a rule. So I was turning somersaults when I dipped a finger into the glaze and loved the taste of it!

The only hiccup was transporting my lovely creation. I do not have a 'travel' container for cakes...let alone a bundt cake. I have a fancier glass cake plate (the glass pedestal w/ dome lid) but not a tupperware/travel version...Yet by a miracle I somehow got it safely to LI in the 2.5 hr drive by rigging up my own system. After 30-45 minutes of trial and error, I finally figured out how to get the dome to set over the cake, but not let the dome slide into the SIDE of the cake on any sharper turns of the car ride. (Thus it would smudge the perfectly placed glaze).

I used the glass dome to the fancy cake plate, which fit completely around the rim of a dinner plate, on which the cake sat. This dinner plate/dome then went onto a wider platter. That way, if we turned the car, the glass dome would slide on the larger platter, up until it hit up against the rim of the dinner plate (that way it hit the plate, not the cake). Whether or not I am properly explaining this system, I was so proud when we got there with a totally pristine glaze! No bumps, or smudges!

The cake is awesome, and as much as I don't want to repeat recipes too quickly, I think I'm going to make for a party this weekend at my sister and brother-in-law's house...I only had 1 piece of it in L.I because I ate so much dinner...so I'm rather anxious to try it again!



NOTES ON BUNDT CAKES: So, not knowing about these cakes, they are denser-more "pound" cake like than a birthday-cake type of thing. Also, for any other Bundt rookies out there, the batter is stiff when it goes into the pan for baking---that threw me, and I thought the consistency was way off (it didn't run/pour into the pan more than inch into it like The Blob. (Thank God for the internet--I googled 'bundt cake batter' and found that it's common that the batter will be thick/stiffer than standard cake recipes!)



Here is the Recipe as it was Printed in Bon Appetit (as I said, I finagled a bit with it, especially the Glaze)

BROWN SUGAR & CHOCOLATE CHIP BUNDT CAKE
(C) BON APPETIT MAGAZINE

Cake:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips
3 cups all purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple extract
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons (or more) whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

For cake:
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.

GOOD TO KNOW:
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).

For glaze:
Combine powdered sugar, maple syrup, 2 tablespoons cream, and espresso powder in medium bowl. Whisk until smooth, adding more cream 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.


ps: Happy Birthday, Kristin...wherever you are...