Thursday, April 18, 2013

Comfort Baking

I know I've been missing in action for the last week and posts have been light for the last several. Too much work is to blame. But there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and soon I'll be back to sewing and blogging more regularly.

Tuesday night, I arrived home in need of comfort; it's been a rough week on many levels. Something warm from the oven was what I needed. So, I baked myself a very quick chocolate cake. It was mixed and then baked right in the cake pan. The recipe is from King Arthur Flour (click here).


Weeknight dessert!



I iced it with a ganache made of  1 1/2 cups of chocolate bits melted with 1/2 a cup of half and half.

There is something about baking that I find intensely calming and comforting. By the time I was cutting a slice of cake, I was already feeling soothed. Next time I'll add a bit more cocoa to the cake batter. But other than that, it was the perfect weeknight cake and just what the doctor ordered.

What do you when you need to give yourself a little TLC?

14 comments:

Clio said...

i'm a big fan of an old favorite of mine from nigel slater...and pear and blackberry cake that i can actually make with any fruit or yummies i have on hand, barely held together by a just-sweet-enough batter. next time i see you i will give you a receipe :-) but after this tough week, it's been ghiradelli mix brownies all the way...

Clio said...

As much as I love sweets, I am a savory girl at heart. So, bring on the mac and cheese or pasta carbonara when my soul needs soothing :)

Clio said...

Please do! Looking forward to seeing you!

Clio said...

Mmmm... yeah, pasta is my other comfort food.

Clio said...

Oh I see, at first I thought you had sewn some cake. Nice cake by the way.

Clio said...

Oh, wow. This looks DELICIOUS!

Clio said...

Me?? Sew cake?? Surely, you jest. Sadly, I have not sewn a stitch in almost 2 weeks...

Clio said...

Easy, too. Really the frosting is great!

Clio said...

Lord, that looks awesome. How did you not eat the entire thing in one serving??

Clio said...

Um... who says it didn't...

Clio said...

true! baking = comfort. Honestly, it's not so much about sweet/savory or the eating for me as it is about the baking itself. Something about measuring, mixing, and the smell from the oven is therapeutic to me.

Clio said...

I made a carrot cake with homemade cream cheese frosting on Thursday, and that has been my comfort food this week. I was making one as a volunteer effort for my church, which is currently housing Sandy relief workers, so I thought I should make two cakes, and keep one... why not, right?

Clio said...

Comfort for all! That's the way to go!

Clio said...

The cake looks delish! I usually take a bubble bath, but my new tub is super small and I feel like a giant trying to squeeze into a foot bath. Perhaps I will need to try baking because you are making it look so appealing :)