I found this cake recipe in my grandmother’s binder of saved recipes. This recipe was likely cut out of newspaper- maybe The Boston Globe or the Lowell Sun. It appealed to her and she kept it. I wish I knew more about her process of what hold onto and what to release. Not just her recipes. Drawings, cards, photos, and holiday crafts given to her as a present. Clothes, jewelry, and books. Mass cards, wedding invitations, and birth announcements. Love letters and apology letters. Save this, toss that, keep it forever. How did she discriminate between things that were hope-chest worthy and things immediately delegated to the trash can sitting behind the kitchen door? Wouldn’t it be easier just to release it all? Nothing to hold onto at the end. Nothing remains for those left behind. Their hearts are never left with tiny painful fissures of something they can no longer access. Nor do their hearts experience the fullness of memory of the love that once held them safe. Which is better? It’s hard to say. I wouldn’t know.
Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cake
This cake is easy to make and tastes great alone or with ice cream. If you are up for it, drizzle the cooled cake with chocolate ganache.
Adapted from my grandmother’s sour cream blueberry cake.
Makes 1 10-inch tube cake.
Ingredients:
3 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups chocolate chips
2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¾ cups sugar
6 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 325F. Lightly butter your tube pan. Cut a circle of parchment paper and place on bottom of tube pan. Next, lightly flour the pan. Set it aside.
Using a medium size bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Using a stand mixture fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand held mixer, beat butter on medium speed for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the sugar in 3 additions, beating on high for 1 minute after each addition. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time beating on medium high after each addition. Nex add the vanilla extract.
Turn the speed to low and add the flour in two additions. After the first addition, add the sour cream. Then end with the flour. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour the thick batter into your prepared bowl and smooth the top. Bake the cake until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, 75 to 80 minutes. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Next, invert the cake onto the wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Enjoy!
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Looking for a nostalgic cake recipe? Try this.
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I made this olive oil cake recently and it is so easy and so delicious. Give it a shot!
cups + spoonfuls 