Mocha Coffee Coffee Cake

I was trying to come up with a “breakfast sweet” for a co-worker’s birthday and thought – hmmm, what about coffee cake?  A friend and I went online to hunt down coffee cake recipes.  I couldn’t figure out why none of the recipes contained coffee? I mean, what makes it taste like coffee?  And then, why are there so many recipes called coffee coffee cake? Why the extra coffee?  Shortly after these mental gymnastics, I realized that I was having a “blonde moment”.  I can say this because I am blonde.  If you think about – which I clearly did not – coffee cake doesn’t taste like coffee, at all – it is meant to be served with coffee.  Ohhh.  And then, the coffee coffee is coffee cake flavored with coffee. Hmm. Are you with me?  Long story short (might be too late), I found this recipe for for Mocha Coffee Coffee Cake at Joy the Baker (original recipe, click here).  I brought the cake to work and in between everyone trying to get to it, I was only able to grab an exceptionally small piece.  But, it was good!  Two pieces of advice – (1) Really grease your pan.  As you can see in my pic down below, I had a little crumble problem when removing from the pan; and (2) Let the cake cool almost completely before removing from the bundt pan.  ENJOY!

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cup sour cream

4 Tablespoons cocoa powder dissolved in 1 1/2 Tablespoons hot water

4 Tablespoons instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 Tablespoon hot water

For the Glaze:

3 teaspoons instant espresso powder

5-6 Tablespoons strong brewed coffee

1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions:

Making the Cake:

1.  Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

2.  Generously butter and flour 10- inch (12cup) Bundt pan.

3.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

4. Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

5.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla.

6.  Add flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just incorporated.

7. Transfer about one third of the batter to a small bowl.

8. Add espresso mixture and stir until combined.

9.  Transfer 1/3 of the remaining vanilla batter to another small bowl and add the cocoa mixture and stir until combined.

10.  Spoon all three batters into the Bundt pan, alternating so each flavor is distributed through the pan.

11.  Bake until cake is golden, or until a wooden spoon inserted in the center comes out clean, about 60 minutes.

12.  Cool in pan on a rack for at least 30 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.

Making the Glaze:

1. Stir together espresso powder and 2 tablespoons coffee in a bowl until powder is dissolved.

2.  Add confectioners’ sugar and stir until well combined.

3.  If glaze is not pourable, thin with remaining coffee if necessary.

4.  Pour glaze over coffee cake and let cake stand until glaze is set, about 10 minutes, before serving.