Chocolate Chip Butter Cake with Cocoa Glaze

I have a feeling that most after school snacks these days look like fresh veggies and apples slices.  Or maybe a bar?  I don't know about you, but when I was in school I went home from school and I was starving!  And tired.  And in need of some comfort food.  

Aged Bread Boards, Set of 3
Checked Tea Towels

There is a reason that picture perfect days of the past featured fresh baked cookies coming out of the oven as the kids got off of the bus, ala June Cleaver.  I may wear leggings and sneakers most days instead of a dress and pearls, but I think June knew what she was doing.

Because I pack a healthy lunch for Emma, and we have relatively healthy homemade dinners at night (as long as pasta counts...), we don't shy away from a daily indulgence.  And a slice of warm, chocolate chip butter cake with glaze fits the bill.  You can skip the glaze, or dust on powdered sugar instead... I guess.

I love baking quick breads/pound cakes.  They are so quick to put together and there is something so simple about baking in a loaf pan that seems easier than a cake pan.  

I use a sheet of Parchment Paper ($10 for 100), cut to fit the Essential Loaf Pan, to make removing the cake simple.  Comes out perfectly every time.

Products Featured : 

Parchment Paper ($10 for 100)

Essential Loaf Pan

Aged Bread Boards, Set of 3
Checked Tea Towels

Chocolate Chip Butter Cake with Cocoa Glaze

12 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup of chocolate chips

.......

3 tablespoons of butter, melted

2 tablespoons of milk

2 tablespoons of cocoa

2 cups of powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Cream together butter and sugar for 3 minutes.  Add eggs.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt.  In another separate bowl, combine milk, and vanilla.  Add half of the wet ingredients to the butter sugar mixture, mix for 5 seconds, then add half of the dry and mix for 5 seconds.  Repeat with second half, ending with dry ingredients.  Pour batter into loaf pan - I like to line mine with parchment paper.  Bake for 35-45 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

For glaze, melt butter with milk in a pourable measuring cup in the microwave.  Add cocoa and mix with a fork.  Microwave 30 more seconds.  Add powdered sugar and stir with a fork until smooth.  Add more powdered sugar or milk to achieve pourable constancy.  Also, reheat in the microwave if it sets up before you pour it over the cake.

 

I LOVE this glaze.  I use it on Homemade Donuts, Chocolate Cupcakes & Cakes.   Even to dip graham crackers : )   Browse all of the recipes that I use the Chocolate Glaze on, here >

Pin this Chocolate Chip Butter Cake with Cocoa Glaze

Browse all of the my Dessert Recipes, here >

Browse all of the recipes that I use the Chocolate Glaze on, here >

Products Used : 

Parchment Paper ($10 for 100)

Essential Loaf Pan

Aged Bread Boards, Set of 
Checked Tea Towels

Apple Bread | Back to School

For our first "meet the teacher" day, Emma and I brought her this Apple Bread.  I thought it was a fun (and yummier) twist on the classic, take an apple to your teacher tradition.  

We baked it and wrapped it in parchment paper, then tied a ribbon and tag on it.  For a hostess gift, you could also present it with a tea towel tied in like pictured here.

I love these new tags with a surprise stripe on the back.  It adds just enough whimsy and fun to a classic card.  It comes in these 4 color ways as part of the Classic Home Collection (coming soon).  

I used this Beige Stripe ribbon.

Having these gift wrapping essentials around always make it easy for me to turn anything into a gift.  As you know, I would much rather make something than go out and buy something.

Apple Bread
4 small or 2 large loafs

2 Eggs
2 cups Sugar
1 stick of Butter (melted)
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 Apples, peeled and diced
2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare loaf pans by lining them with parchment paper.

In a mixer, combine eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.  Add flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture slowly.  Add apples in and stir just until combined.

Pour batter in the parchment lined pans.  Put the pans on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.

These small and large baking loaf pans will be available as part of the new collection.  I love the squared sides - they look very professional.  

I cut the parchment paper to fit each pan.

Lining them this way makes them easy to lift out of the pan and gives them a liner, much like a cupcake paper.

Bake them on a baking sheet to keep your oven clean if one should spill over while baking.  It also makes them easier to get in and out.

These checked tea towels are part of the new collection also and have coordinating napkins.

Fresh out of the oven!  This is Emma's photo.

 They lift right out of the pans because of the parchment liner.

I love homemade gifts!

Back to School | Classic Home Collection Preview #2

We are officially here, the first day of Kindergarten!  She was beyond excited to start this new adventure - even ready to go to sleep early last night so it would get here faster (which never happens for our night owl).  I'm counting down the hours until pick up and hear all about it.

In the meantime, I'm back to work : )   I was hoping to have a new collection to launch to distract myself from the very quiet house... however, I'm still waiting on the rest of the new block print designs.  They seem to be held up - let's hope not lost.

For now, I wanted to give you a little look at what I've been up to to prepare for the new store collection.

 You'll notice the new header on the blog that features some of the new products (hello, checked and block print tea towels!) and a recipe coming later today.  

We baked this apple bread for her teacher - we thought it was the perfect spin on bringing your teacher an apple on the first day.

I lined the new loaf pans (part of the new collection) with parchment paper to make them easier lift out after baking.

They are wrapped in parchment paper, then wrapped them in ribbon and attached a new tag... also part of the new collection.  Did you notice the back?  This tag will come in four color versions.  I love it.

I love this mix of peach roses with coral dahlias, sprigs of navy blue berries and little touches of fall foliage.  Perfect pre-Fall colors.

The new hutch is getting lots of photo/product love.  

An entire new collection of mix and match classic linens.

This table is set with layers of block print textiles + hemstitch essentials + checks and candle light.  I love the layered, collected cozy feeling.  For me, a table like this says, come, sit and relax, settle in and enjoy.  That is how I always want my guests to feel and how I always want to feel when we go to someone's home.    

Casual, gathered arrangements.

Help yourself to wine.  Again, my favorite kind of party : )

Comfort food for fall dinners.  Classic Roast beef for company or Sunday night with family.

Healthy weeknight dinners like this "rainbow" soup.  I made a huge batch and am keeping portions in the freezer for lunch.

Home decor that evolves and changes with growing collections, souvenirs and old favorites.

New Gold Leaf frames.

Wild gathered flowers.

Easy giving.