Saturday, January 29, 2011

Double Chocolate Loaf-Baked Sunday Mornings


This is a I need chocolate NOW kind of week.  Craziness at work with a new reservation system along with craziness at home trying to organize ( and I use the term loosely) the basement. Add to the mix the fact that the washer is kaput-or pretty close to it-the digital/computer on it has gone berserk and in order to get it to work you have to stand there for about 10-15 minutes kicking it , shaking it, moving it back and forth-it's hysterical to watch. And last but not least J's phone has gone haywire,he can hear callers but they can't hear him !  Ahhh technology, isn't it grand ?  I need chocolate !


But in spite of all the craziness I feel a calm come over me as soon as I'm home-you know that safe haven kind of feeling-even when everything around me is falling apart.  I remind myself that it's the things that  are falling apart-not me- I still have it together. And things are replaceable-people aren't. 


I find myself thinking about my dad a great deal more than usual these past few weeks, probably because of losing my dear sweet friend, Ed.  But on a day like today when electronics are not functioning I know that if my dad were here, he would be taking things apart, putting them back together and they would work.  Dad's are like that aren't they ? Neither J nor I are mechanical enough to tackle the washer and the phone is a lost cause.  So I will do what I do best - bake.  


This is the Double Chocolate Loaf with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Spread. I'm usually not a lover of baked goods in the loaf category but I enjoyed making this.  I love how the top crackled when it came out of the oven.  I like it with powdered sugar for a dinner dessert and with the peanut butter cream cheese topping for a little breakfast bite.  I didn't cream the peanut butter and cream cheese together completely when I mixed them. I wanted the two tone effect when I decorated the little bites. I think these would be a sweet addition to a brunch tray-don't you ?  The next time I make this loaf, I think I will serve it with a little mascarpone topped with fresh raspberries and maybe a little raspberry coulis surrounding it-that would make it very elegant -don't you think ?


For now I'm putting the organization of the basement on hold; ordering a new phone for J; ordering a new washer and making myself a good cup of espresso. Then I'm going to light a few candles, take my espresso and a slice of this chocolate loaf and enjoy the rest of my day. I hope you do the same.  Bon Appetit.



Head over to Baked Sunday Mornings for the recipe and to see what everyone else did.


PS This was another recipe I made for our Will Bake For Food Bake Sale last year and they were the 2nd thing to sell out !


11 comments:

Kristin said...

I love so much about your post! I love that you put powdered sugar on the loaf and that you made them look like little brownies! I also like the look of your two toned peanut butter spread- beautiful!

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

The two tone peanut butter is a wonderful idea. How pretty it looks. The loaf came out beautifully.

Elaine said...

Such beautiful photos and I love how they look both ways. Piping the spread on the slice top is so beautiful! I also love your packaging for the food sale. Who wouldn't want to buy those?! It sounds like this was the perfect recipe for you to bake after your week of craziness. Some weeks are just like that, but baking and chocolate just calms us down. Great post, Sandy!

mike said...

What a wonderful and touching post. I'm sure your dad would have loved to fix the washer (among other things) - mine is the same way. I'm glad you made this amidst all the craziness going on - it's a soothing way to "de-stress" - to bake!

And my mom has those exact Mikasa dishes (what a great choice for the photo)! Everything looks wonderful!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I can see why this would sell out so quickly Sandy. With the holidays over I think January is all about introspection. I know you have wonderful memories of your Dad as well as your friend Ed.

Desiree said...

Yours look sooo good. Love the little packages too. great idea for next time!

Nina said...

Wonderful post. Love the two-tone spread and the simple sprinkling of confectioner's sugar. The mascarpone cheese option sounds to-die-for. Beautifully done--I loved this recipe!

Bri said...

Oh, they look so adorable! Like everyone else said, the two-toned topping was genius!

Kris' Kitchen said...

Beautiful and creative post and ideas. I had one of "those weeks" too and I also needed chocolate...this recipe was perfect for me and everyone else loves it too. Your ideas and presentation are terrific...just loved reading your story.

redmenace said...

I'm very sorry to hear about your dear friend and all the craziness in your household. You absolutely deserve a baking respite. I'm glad you indulged. Sounds wonderful. Happy New Year, Sandy! xo

Anonymous said...

all the pictures look great! I especially like the idea of the marbled spread - it did look very pretty for the brunch spread.