Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Can you say "pound-cake"?

Okay.

Now can you say "Chocolate-Chip Pound-Cake"? (Question: Is pound-cake hypenated?)

I made this the other day for a party. This recipe is a killer. It is SO good.

Chocolate Chip Poundcake
from The Moosewood Cookbook

1 pound buter, at room temperature
3 cups white sugar
6 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 cups unbleached white flour
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

Grease and flour four small loaf pans, or a full sized bundt or tube pan.

Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, on at a time, beating well after each. Remove from electric mixer.
Sift together dry ingredients. Mix together milk and vanilla extract. Add dry and wet to butter mixture alternately, beginning and ending with dry. Add chocolate chips. Mix by hand, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, after each addition. Mix thoroughly, just enough to blend, without excess beating.
Pour into loaf or bundt or tube pan. Bake 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out dry. After the cake cools ten minutes, turn it out onto a plate. Let cool completely before slicing.

Cinnamon Swirl Buns

So I made the cinnamon buns. yes. Those cinnamon buns.
What?
You don't know the ones I'm talking about?

I'm talking about the cinnamon buns that had me drooling from the first glance.

Yep. I'm talking about these babies:http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/04/cinnamon-swirl-buns-so-much-news/

I finally made them.

Boy were they good. Muy delicioso.

Granted, anything with cream cheese frosting is bound to be pretty delicious.

Cinnamon Swirl Buns with Cream Cheese Glaze
Adapted SmittenKitchen who adapted it from Molly Wizenberg’s recipe in Bon Appetit, March 2008,

Makes 18 buns.

Dough
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise or instant yeast (from 1 envelope yeast)
1 teaspoon salt
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Filling
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Pinch of salt

Glaze
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For dough: Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, about 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add additional 2 1/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. (You may also use a KitchenAid’s dough hook for this process.) Form into ball.

Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

For filling: Mix brown sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt in medium bowl.

Press down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15×11-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon mixture evenly over butter. Starting at the longer side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, trim ends straight if they are uneven (we baked them in a ramekin, incapable of discarding such deliciousness) cut remaining dough crosswise with thin sharp knife (a good serrated worked well here) into 18 equal slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide).

Spray two 9-inch square glass baking dishes (an 8-inch square metal pan worked just fine, too) with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes, though yours, like mine, may take longer. Don’t skimp on the double-rising time.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.

For glaze: Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread glaze on rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: These buns were best the day they were baked. The second day, they were on the tough side. If you anticipate wanting them over a few days, glaze them to order, heating the buns beforehand to soften them up.