I have a soft spot in my heart for donuts. I think everybody does, right? They’re like the ultimate comfort any-day-food/special occasion treat/amazing food perfection.
My very very favorite donut is a glazed chocolate cake donut. As much as I love a good, yeasty pastry– nothing hits the spot quite like a dense-yet-fluffy cake donut covered in a sweet glaze. It’s my number one pick every time.
I consider myself overly-qualified to judge a good chocolate cake donut (considering my ongoing 28-year obsession with them), and let me tell you: this homemade baked version is something to write home about.
A couple of weekends ago, I went to a photography retreat in Virginia. At this retreat we ate the most incredible and creative food I think I’ve ever eaten. All of it made by a 100% through-and-through self-taught home cook. Even though the retreat was all about immersing ourselves in photography, I found myself enjoying my time in the kitchen the most.
Some of my favorite moments from the weekend were spent on a bar stool peeking over the counter watching the cook, Matt, roll out pasta, stir ganache, craft beautiful grilled pizzas, and talk about his favorite homemade ice cream flavors. I hovered around the kitchen all weekend (driving him insane, I’m sure) asking questions about this recipe or that, listening to him talk about how he got into cooking such great food, and quizzing him on what sorts of unique flavors he’s been inspired to use in his recipes.
It was sort of like watching magic. You could tell by the way he handled the food that it was his craft, something he is really passionate about. And I found that to be incredibly inspiring. The more time I spent with him, the more inspired and excited to get back to my own kitchen I became.
Especially after Matt rocked my world with this biscuit recipe. (It’s worth noting here, that Matt isn’t claiming this recipe as his own creative genius. He highly recommends Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Desserts, which is this recipe’s original source). I probably spent the majority of my time at the retreat talking about these biscuits… just ask anyone. They were that good.
What’s so special about this recipe?? What makes them different from my own biscuit recipe (that I posted less than two months ago, mind you)?
