Wednesday, October 5, 2011

one bowl chocolate loafcake

Hello, world!  Long time no update this blog.  But then, long time no cooking.  I moved across the country this summer, and for a few months I was in a situation where I was sharing a very small apartment with too many people.  Plus, and it kills me to even think about this, I had to leave most of my kitchen behind.  Actually ... pretty much all of it.  I won't lie, I died a little.

We have some more space now, though, and I finally was able to fill some cabinets with baking goods and get some things in the oven.  I wanted to do a chocolate cake, but my standard recipe is complex and I forgot I don't actually have cake pans yet.  So I turned to my list of "some day" recipes, and I found smitten kitchen's "everyday chocolate cake" right at the top.  One bowl, loaf pan?  Perfect!

one bowl chocolate loafcake
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup alkalized cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Oven to 325; prepare a 9x5 loaf pan.

Cream butter, add sugars, then egg, then buttermilk & vanilla.  Sift in flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt; stir.

Now, I baked mine for 60 minutes and it got a little crunchy around the edges.  It isn't burned, per se, but it is overcooked.  (Some buttercream frosting made it all better.)  Your mileage may vary; I seem to be having some trouble getting used to this new oven.  Not that it's a bad oven.  on the contrary I think it might be the first good oven I've worked with in ages.  We'll see.  Basically just keep an eye peeled; if you know from cake you shouldn't have any trouble.

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