Mystery Mocha Cake

I've also had a version of this cake called Hot Fudge Cake. That is a more logical name for it since after it is baked it has a layer of "hot fudge" on the bottom.

A few Sundays ago it was rainy so I decided to go used book shopping in Winston and found Paula Deen's dessert recipe book. This was one of the first recipes I opened up to and decided to make it a few days later with dinner. It was pretty simple to make. The longest part was actually making the coffee to pour over it in the end. It did seem strange to make the batter, then pour sugar (brown and white) and cocoa over it, and then pour the coffee over it. Despite its appearance I figured that anything with chocolate, coffee, and butter could not be bad. And I was right, it was very tasty. It needed some vanilla ice cream though since it is served warm. Even after I put the small amount of leftovers in the fridge, it was still really good cold the next day. A very good recipe for any chocolate lover.

Oh, and I didn't get any photos since it got eaten pretty quickly.

Mystery Mocha Cake
~Paula Deen
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 one ounce square semisweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup coffee

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square pan.

Mix together the 3/4 cup granulated sugar, flour, and baking powder.

Melt together chocolate and butter in a saucepan and add to flour mixture. Add milk and vanilla, mixing well. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Combine the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, cocoa, and brown sugar. Sprinkle over batter. Pour coffee on top of this and do not stir. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cake should have a chocolate syrup base on the bottom. This cake is best when served warm.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

I got this recipe from one of Ina Garten's books but she got it from an old milkman's wife or something like that. I've been using it for all my cake recipes lately so it was time to share. It combines two wonderful things: chocolate and coffee.

I'm making it again to take to a lunch at work tomorrow. I'm using her chocolate frosting recipe as well. Hopefully I will get a slice, those teacher assistants are crazy about cake.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake
Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.
Chocolate Frosting: 6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut) 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.