Chocolate Coffee Cake

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Chocolate Coffee Cake

Chocolate Carrot Cake (Photo credit: scubadive67)

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw

Unsweetened cocoa powder is made from chocolate liquor, the base for all chocolate preparations. Once the cocoa butter has been pressed out, what remains of the liquor is ground into a fine powder. Dutch-process cocoa powder is treated with an alkali, which makes it darker in color, less bitter, and richer in flavor than nonalkalized cocoa. Recipes with Dutch cocoa use slightly more baking powder to maintain the proper acid-alkaline balance. Good brands of cocoa include Droste, Poulain, Baker's, van Houten, Hershey's European-style, and Ghirardelli.

You may be chocoholic or not, you will definitely love this chocolate coffee cake. It has been added with the finest ingredients to satisfy your chocolate and coffee cravings in a cake. This will make one delicious dessert produce by the sweetness of everybody's favorite, chocolate!

CHOCOLATE COFFEE CAKE

You will need:

For the streusel:

2/3 cup (4 oz/125 g) all-purpose (plain) flour

1/2 cup (3½ oz/105 g) firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 tablespoons (3 oz/90 g) cold unsalted butter

3/4 cup (4½ oz/140 g) chocolate chips

1½ cups (7½ oz/235 g) all-purpose (plain) flour

1/2 cup (2 oz/60 g) cake (soft-wheat) flour

2/3 cup (2 oz/60 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 teaspoon each baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (4 oz/125 g) unsalted butter

1 cup (8 oz/250 g) granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1¼ cups (10 oz/315 g) sour cream

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract (essence)

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 350⁰F. (180⁰C). Grease and flour a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking pan or dish.

To make the streusel, stir together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut or rub in the butter until coarse crumbs form. Stir in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Set aside.

In a bowl, stir together the all-purpose and cake flours, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 2 or 3 increments, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. Using the mixer on low speed, beat until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle evenly with the streusel.

Bake until the topping is golden brown, 40-45 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into squares to serve.

Notes: If using a glass baking dish, reduce the oven temperature to 325⁰F (165⁰C). Semisweet (plain) or bittersweet chocolate chips may be used in this coffee cake recipe. To intensify the chocolate flavor, add 1½ teaspoons chocolate extract (essence) when beating in the sour cream and vanilla.