The Last Bits of 2011 & The First Bits of 2012
The Cakewalk.
“Hey Quelcy, I have an idea of something we could do! Let’s go check out this bridge.”
[comforting]
“C’mon Quelcy, it will be fun!”
That’s the “bridge?!?!” That’s not a bridge!!!
Ok, fine. I’ll cross it. No big deal…
What do you think the going rate for bridge repairs is?
My guess is $0.00 based on the decrepit tree suspending the bridge from the opposite bank. Good thing you only see that “secure” system after you’ve gone too far, and the only way back is the bridge again. Good thing.
A few bucks should do it.
Conquering nature and leaping over mountains. It’s what we do. We also wear plaid.
Then we eat cake (on plaid)..!
“Adult Root Beer Cake”
Chocolate Chip Quick Bread/Cake with Root Glaze
Much like the makeshift methods of bridging over bluish-green waters in the center of nowhere, the making of this cake was less than the standard operating pastry procedure. Without proper measuring cups, this was a grand adventure in Grandmother style baking (my favorite method) and trusting my judgment of proportions. When in a quiet cabin with a view of a flowing creek, a crackling fire, cocktails and a cakewalk companion for the big countdown, missing measuring cups are the last thing to worry this little fleece-hatted head. As for nomenclature, people say “quick bread,” but let’s be real, calling a slice of this “bread” is just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast. Call this what you’d like. Eat it whenever you’d like.
Cake Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks organic unsalted butter
1 cup turbinado sugar
4 large eggs
2 Tbs bourbon (1792)
2.7 oz Taza Stone Ground Organic Cinnamon Chocolate, chopped
Glaze Ingredients
½ cup turbinado sugar
1 cup Root
1 Tablespoon Orange zest
For the Glaze
Combine the turbinado sugar and Root in a saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolve.
Add the orange peel and continue to simmer over low heat until the sauce thickens.
Remove from heat and set aside.
For the Cake
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Butter a 9×5 inch glass loaf pan or an 11×7 glass pan.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt together.
Use a mixer to beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating for a couple of minutes in between additions.
Add the bourbon.
Fold in the dry ingredients by hand with a spatula.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Bake the cake for 40-60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
While the cake is still hot, use a skewer or fork to poke holes into the surface of the cake. Pour the glaze over the cake.
Let the cake rest for about 15 minutes before you remove it from the pan to transfer to a cooling rack.
Slice it. Eat it. Enjoy it. Meet someone new. Share it!
Happy 2012!
