Athena Plichta Photography

The title sounds ultra sweet, right? The best part is the peanut butter cream cheese spread. Just typing that makes me want to reach in the fridge and eat the creamy goodness straight from a spoon.

I thought the chocolate loaf was just ok. While not overly chocolatey (as the name would suggest), it was satisfyingly sweet. But I found that it was not moist enough for my taste, perhaps a result of leaving the pans in the oven too long (I used smaller ones than called for).

This wasn't an easy shoot. Call it an episode of creative block or whatever, nothing seemed to work. I couldn't find a spot around my house that I liked lighting-wise. Wished for a bigger table or surface to work on. Longed for a macro to change things up.

I ended up shooting until the sun went down and called it a day. And today I took a break from baking and shooting.

From Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. My good friend got me their first book Baked: Frontiers and I want to make everything in both. They're probably my fave baking books at the moment. Tina Rupp's photography is unpretentious and simple yet inviting. Did you know they did not hire a food stylist for their books? I never would've guessed. The vintage touches in Explorations did it for me. Love me a beautifully-photographed cookbook.

Double-Chocolate Loaf with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Spread

(from Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito)

makes one 9x5 inch loaf

Ingredients

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

8 ounces good-quality chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped

for cream cheese spread

5 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F and position rack in the center. Butter a 9x5 in loaf pan, dust it with flour, knock out excess flour.

Place brown sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Press out any lumps with the back of a large spoon. Add the cocoa, flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk until blended, then add the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; whisk until combined.

Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry one, mixing just until combined. Stir in the dark chocolate chunks by hand.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Let loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve the loaf plain or toasted, topped with the peanut butter spread.

Loaf will keep, in an airtight container or wrapped tightly, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Spread

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl. If not using spread immediately, place it in a ramekin or container and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Note: I don't have a regular 9x5 in pan so substituted with 2 mini loaf pans and baked for an hour, which was too long as the loaves were dry. Adjust accordingly if you use a pan different from what is stated in recipe.