I am not a baker. Heck, I am a totally novice chef too. But sometimes, if something or someone inspires me, nothing will stop me from working on an idea until I feel pretty good about it. I haven’t always been that way, but I get a little wiser as I get a little older. And boy do I feel old tonight as I write this. That’s what coaching baseball non-stop for 2 days will do to a person. But as a dad, nothing is better than that. Except maybe my wife, who is the inspiration behind this Chocolate Chip & Toffee Crumb Cake.
So back to my first sentence. I am not a baker. I don’t pretend to be and never thought I would enjoy baking anything. Ever. Not in a million years. But living with an obsessed, perfectionist and amazingly talented baker, well, it rubs off on me a little. It helps to have things in common as we grow old together, right? And because Mother’s Day is approaching, and the boys and I are so crazy blessed to be loved by my wife, I thought I would express my love and appreciation for her in a way I thought she would love. Hence, my attempt at this family recipe.
It took me two attempts to get this one right. Well, to where I thought I wouldn’t be embarrassed by her reaction to her first bite. The first time around, I used a milk and sour cream combination instead of buttermilk, but while that gave the cake a finer crumb, it left it a little dry. On my second attempt, I used buttermilk and the result was much better – a thicker crumb and much more moist.
And while the base of this is indeed a family recipe, I was literally digging through our pantry to find some add-ins for the flavor to really make this one right up my wife’s alley. I see her do that all the time and it cracks me up, so this time, it was my turn. What did I find? Chocolate chips, coconut, toffee and caramel. Perfect. And saved me another dreadful trip to the grocery store.
The result? Naomi loved it. Every bite. And believe me when I say this, there were a lot of bites. She’s pregnant after all and due in 3 weeks. So maybe it was just her voracious pregnant appetite (which I find so cute) and strange cravings, but regardless, she smiled and went back for more. Sometimes it’s simply the little things in life that make someone happy, and I think this Chocolate Chip & Toffee Crumb Cake did just that. Now it’s off to the mall this week to buy her a cute post-pregnancy outfit. And maybe a couple little onesies for the little guy.
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