Right? Take a look at this YUMMY cake….one of the best new things I’ve made in quite a while. I don’t bake much, mostly because I like to improvise in the kitchen, and baking does not lend itself to making stuff up as you go. That being said, I can’t believe I’ve never made one from scratch. I mean, those box ones are good when you are in a hurry, but this cake does not take much longer and is worth the extra effort. Most of the ingredients you should have hanging out in your panty too. Here it is:
- 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder – use the best one you can find and afford
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla – again, use the best one you can find and afford
- 1 cup of whole milk
- 1 cup of brewed coffee, cooled
- Ganache recipe below – or finishing frosting of your choice
To get started, butter/spray/flour (or cocoa powder) whatever pan you like. I like finding uses for my Bundt pan, but (2) 8″ or 9″ pans or about 16-18 cupcakes will work for this too. Adjust your cook times accordingly. I use the baking spray with flour in it, then I put a little bit of cocoa power in since it’s chocolate.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Sift together all the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and coca power. Here’s how I do it, because I hate sifting, but you have to sift cocoa powder. I measure out the flour in a big bowl, sift in the rest, the I use a whisk to combine it all together. Feel free to sift all of it you are so motivated.
In a mixing bowl (stand or hand either will work fine) mix the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla together. Mix until fully combined. I like to add my milk and coffee together in a 2 cup measuring cup to it makes it easy to pour in. Now you’re ready to add the dry/coffee/milk ingredients.
Start with the dry with the mixer on lowest speed – add 1/3 of the dry mixture and let it incorporate. Add 1/2 of the coffee/milk mixture and let it mix in. Add another 1/3 of the dry, the rest of the coffee/milk and then the rest of the dry mix. Just mix until it’s all combined. It’s easy to over mix this cake so just until it’s all incorporated it as far as you want to go.
Depending on what type of pan(s) you are using depends on your next steps. I used this very old bunt pan that I have so I didn’t have to worry about dividing anything up. Cook time was about 40 minutes. I kept checking with a cake tester until it came out clean. Cupcakes should be scooped using an ice cream scoop to make sure they are all the same size, probably about 18 of them, and baked a little less time. Two 8″ or 9″ pans will take less time than my bunt pan since they are not as deep. For any of these sizes, the internal temperature of your cake should be 210 degrees.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out on a cooling rack until completely cool. Move it to a pretty cake stand, or just leave it on the rack and get a fork!! 🙂
Next up – pick your icing. I like a mocha ganache drizzle on this cake, but feel free to use your favorite topping. It’s equally tasty with just some good old, whipped cream or any type of frosting you like with chocolate cake. You can’t go wrong with ice cream either. Here’s the ganache steps:
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- 8 oz. of your favorite chocolate chips – I usually have semisweet around but use your favorite – even white chocolate chips might work but I’ve not tried it.
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of instant expresso coffee granules
This is made in a double boiler but don’t let that scare you. (It’s just a saucepan with about an inch of simmering water in it with a heatproof bowl over it.) Put all the ingredients in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water, and make sure the water is only at a simmer. I start with a rubber spatula at first while the chips are melting. As things start to incorporate, I move off the heat and whisk to make sure the mixture is smooth, and it will be shinny. Pretty AND tasty – yes!
I start by adding a ring of ganache around the top, then I keep adding and letting it flow down the sides and inside the cake. Cut and enjoy!!!
Amy’s Kitchen 