Despite being an obsessive dessert lover, I do not generally gravitate towards cake when choosing desserts.  I guess this is because I have high expectations and too often cake has been over-mixed, over-baked, or is just not flavorful enough.  This is sad, because I actually really love cake and am constantly on the lookout for a good recipe that meets my snobby expectations.

One such cake is this perfectly moist bundt cake.  Buttermilk lends great moisture while brown sugar, pockets of melty chocolate, and maple syrup provide ample flavor perfect for this season.

You should make it!  Yum!

Brown Sugar and Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Makes 12 servings

Adapted from Bon Appetite October 2007

Cake:

1 12-ounce package chocolate chips

3 cups all purpose flour, divided

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon maple extract

4 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons (or more) whipping cream

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Butter a 12-cup Bundt pan.  Spray pan generously with nonstick spray and then dust lightly with flour.  Mix chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons of the flour in a small bowl (doing this prevents all the chips from sinking to the bottom of the pan during baking).  Sift remaining flour with the baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.  Using and electric mixture, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in vanilla and maple extract.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated.  Mix in flour in three additions alternately with buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Transfer batter to prepared pan, spreading evenly.

Bake cake until tester comes out clean, about 1 hour.  Cool cake in pan for 30 minutes then invert onto rack and let cool completely.

Make glaze.  Combine powdered sugar, maple syrup, and whipping cream in a medium bowl whisking until smooth, adding additional whipping cream by the 1/2 teaspoonfuls if the glaze is too thick to drizzle.  Spoon glaze decoratively over cooled cake, let stand at room temperature until glaze is set, about 1 hour.