Buttermilk Glaze

I am in love. with this glaze. this lusty, rich, buttery, scotchy glaze. As so often happens in affairs of the heart, I realized my true feelings when I saw my friend scooping the glaze off the serving platter with her finger, and thought "hey, I think I love that glaze!"


There was nothing wrong with the Sweet Potato Pound Cake that was dressed in the glaze, but the glaze's sneaky likeness to old fashioned donuts just got under my skin. I've found myself thinking about it, wondering what else to drench in it...chocolate cupcakes? homemade donuts? anything I can get my hands on?


So last night I made a classic Sandtorte Pound Cake, and took care to make the glaze early on so everything could cool sufficiently (warm cake + warm glaze = cake sauce all over my car two weeks ago). Then I experimentally dipped pieces of the pound cake in the glaze, at which point my affection for it deepened: this glaze can even make slightly burned cake taste good!

I also left a piece of the cake soaking in the glaze overnight to see how the result would be...only to find that my roommate had consumed the piece in the night. You see how alluring this glaze is? How utterly useless you will be in the face of it?

You have been warned:

Buttermilk Glaze
from Orangette, deceptively listed as "optional"

1/2 C low-fat buttermilk
1/2 C sugar
4 T (1/2 cube) unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch or flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine the buttermilk, sugar, butter, cornstarch, and baking soda in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a gentle boil. Remove from heat and stir well. Let cool. Stir in vanilla. You may want to pour this through a sieve if clumps of cornstarch remain.

Proceed to pour the room temperature glaze over desired cake, but beware of disappearing pieces and the affect this glaze may have on your soul!