Okay, we are five days post-Olympics and I am already going through withdrawal. How about you?
I have been a self-proclaimed Olympic junkie since the Nagano Olympics in 1998. The Elvis Stojko groin injury and the Ross Rebagliati pot scandal still sum up that Olympics for me. (Did you know: Rebagliati was stripped of his medal for testing positive for marijuana, and then was given it back because he claimed he didn’t smoke it, and now he owns his own medical marijuana business… hmmm! Fishy!) ANYWAY, since those memorable Olympics I have been known to stay up all hours of the night, soaking in all the live Olympic glory (because if you don’t watch it live, did it really happen?) I could claim that I timed my maternity leaves according to the Olympic schedule! I was home with Olive for Sochi 2014, home with Henry for Rio 2016 and now home with Penny for Pyeongchang 2018… I’ve got a problem!
Canada showed up to South Korea this year! Although we missed a few key medals that are usually “guarantees” (Hockey!!), we had the best winter Olympics in our history (and even came home with a medal haul above our neighbours to the south! Sorry American friends!) There is something magical about watching your country climb on that podium to watch our flag be hoisted and be presented one of the most coveted medals in sports! It gives me tingles just thinking about it.
When I was younger, I thought I was going to be an Olympic ice dancer. I was sure of it… And then I turned 30 and realized that dream might not come true! Of course, as I watch Henry slide around the living room on the cardboard skis that Olive made him yelling “SKI JUMP, SKI JUMP” I now believe my children are going to be the Olympic Champions of the family. The closest Ski Jump facility is on the other side of the country… Great!
But in all seriousness, can we just take a moment and thank Tessa and Scott? OMG, why aren’t they married? They need to get married, right? And then they can produce offspring that skate together like the ShibSibs. Please tell me I’m not crazy!
Lets celebrate our victories with cake!
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHAI BUNDT CAKE WITH BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE GLAZE
adapted from Bake From Scratch Magazine
ingredients
cake:
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter,
softened and divided
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup whole milk
2 chai tea bags
1 ½ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
8 ounces 70% cacao dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 ounces 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Reserved 5 Tbsp. chai milk from cake recipe
steps
cake:
Preheat oven to 300F.
Spray a 12- to 15-cup Bundt pan with
baking spray with flour.
In a small saucepan, bring milk to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add tea bags; cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Discard tea bags. Reserve ½ cup chai milk for batter and 5 tablespoons chai milk for Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat brown sugar and butter at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a medium bowl, whisk together baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and reserved ½ cup chai milk.
Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add
flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Beat in chopped chocolate, melted chocolate, and vanilla. Spoon batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with an offset spatula.
Bake until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan
for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
glaze:
In a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, melted chocolate, and melted butter. Add reserved chai milk, 1 tablespoon at
a time, whisking until a smooth consistency is reached. Use immediately.
tart assembly:
Place cooled bundt cake on a cake stand and drizzle with Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze just before serving.
