Brown Sugar and Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

From Bon Appetit

Another good, dense cake. 

Ingredients

12 Servings

CAKE

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1

12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips

3

cups all purpose flour, divided

2

teaspoons baking soda

1

teaspoon baking powder

3

/4 teaspoon salt

1

cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1

1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar

2

1/2 tablespoons 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

Preparation

CAKE

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 12-cup Bundt pan. Spray pan generously with nonstick spray. Dust pan lightly with flour. Mix chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons flour in medium bowl. Sift remaining flour with baking soda, baking powder, and salt into another medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract and maple extract. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chip mixture. Transfer batter to prepared pan, spreading evenly.

Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan, about 1 hour. Cool cake in pan on rack 30 minutes. Invert cake onto rack and cool completely.

Hint: Mixing the chocolate chips with a little flour before adding them to the batter helps the chips stay evenly suspended in the batter and evenly distributed throughout the baked cake (otherwise, they may sink to the bottom).

GLAZE

Combine powdered sugar, maple syrup, and 2 tablespoons cream in medium bowl. Whisk until smooth, adding more cream by 1/2 teaspoonfuls if glaze is too thick to drizzle. Spoon glaze decoratively over top of cake; let stand at room temperature until glaze is firm, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and let stand at room temperature. 

Maple Chili from USA Today

Vermont Maple-spiked Chili with Cheddar Stars - Jane and Michael Stern - Chili Nation

This chili is simple and not very hot. Kids like chili with some sweetness and the cut out stars on top make it festive. You can make it ahead or double it. Serve with white rice and corn bread.

1 lb. dried cranberry beans or kidney beans (for speed you can substitute 4 C drained canned beans)
1 C chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 lb. ground chuck
1 1/2 tsp black pepper or 1 Tbsp maple pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp. ground allspice
15 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 c pure maple syrup
12 slices sharp cheddar cheese (2"x2"x 1/4")

Soak the beans overnight; descard any bad beans and stones. Rinse the beans and place in a large pot with fresh water. Cook 1 hour, until tender. Drain and reserve 4 cups of beans.

In a Dutch overn, saute onions and garlic in oil until soft. Add meat, stirring to keep it loose and crumbly, and cook until browned. Drain and descard fat. Add pepper or maple pepper, salt, chili powder, allspice, tomato sauce, maple s;yrup and 2 c water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer and cook, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Add the reserved beans and cook 15 minutes more.

Use a cookie cutter to cut stars from the cheese slices, or cut freehand. To serve, spoon the chili into bowls and top each with 2 or 3 stars.  Makes 10 Cups- serves 6 as main course.