Chocolate and Espresso Cake

I very rarely lick out a bowl. This time I did it, even licked the spatula and the drips of batter that landed on the work surface. I hope the cake will be as good, when it is finished.

I haven't baked in a longer time. But tomorrow at the office we will meet with a new co-worker and some others I have not seen in person for months. A good chance to feed them some cake.

Chocolate Cake is a one of my favourite kind of cakes. There are so many different ways to bake one. I used a recipe from "backbube.com", but as always changed a couple of things. I used fresh brewed espresso instead of coffee, I used some of my Valhrona high quality milk chocolate and a mix of my red and black VanHouten cocoas. And I learned a new hack for the baking dish.

Instead of baking spray I usually use, the recipe called for 1 tbsp melted butter mixed with 1 tbsp of cocoa - in my case Red Cameroon cocoa. That mix was brushed around the inside of the baking dish. I hoped it would let the cake come out later -- and it did beautifully!

recipe for a large baking dish - I used a bundt tin:

170 g soft unsalted butter + 1 tbsp

90 g unsweetened cocoa powder + 1 tbsp (I used 50 g red and 40 g black cocoa)

170 g milk chocolate chopped

180 ml fresh brewed strong espresso

260 g sour cream

250 g ap flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

200 g sugar

4 large free range eggs

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Melt 1 tbsp butter and mix it with 1 tbsp red cocoa. Brush the inside of your baking dish with it.

Put chocolate and cocoa in a heat proof bowl and pour the fresh espresso on top. Let it sit for 3 min and then stir until you have an smooth chocolate mix.

Sift flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl.

In a standmixer or by hand cream sugar and butter together for about 5 min. Add the eggs, one after the other and stir well in between. Mix in 1/3 of flour, then 1/3 of chocolate mix and stir well. Do that until all is combined.

Pour in the sour cream and finish it. Fill in the baking dish and put in the oven for 45 min. Check with a wooden skewer if the cake is ready.

Let it sit in the baking dish for 10 min, the turn it out on a wire rack. 

Use chocolate icing or icing sugar to decorate.