Buttermilk is one of those ingredients that I usually cook with in streaks: It’s sold in quart or half gallon sizes at the grocery store but I usually end up only needing a little bit to add tang or richness to a particular dish, meaning lots leftover for something else. After playing with buttermilk for my sticky biscuits last week, I’ve had some hanging out in the fridge — hence the inspiration for this dessert making its debut on PBMilk.
This buttermilk chocolate chip cake has an emphasis on the butter — there are two (!) sticks in this large loaf cake. One whole stick is used to create a streusel/crumble topping with brown sugar and flour that bakes down into the cake. The result is a a crispy, buttery shell and a rich, dense, dry pound cake. The bittersweet chocolate chips — added when it comes out of the oven — show some love by getting all warm and gooey.
This is a yummy dessert, but something is missing to my taste. The buttermilk flavor is too subtle and there aren’t enough chocolate chips in the batter. In my next crack at this one — and my recommendation to those who decide to try this at home — I’ll up the chippage in the batter by at least 1/4 cup and also juice up the buttermilk factor by a 1/8 to 1/4 cup.
