Friday, March 15, 2013

Recipe Swap: Almond Mocha Cake

If you have a sweet tooth, you'll love today's recipe swap theme which is dessert!  This recipe comes from Nicole of Cookies on Friday and I submitted the super addicting Macadamia Lemon Bars.

When I read the ingredients list, I was concerned by the use of amaretto, an almond liquor.  Now, I know that it's not much and alcohol supposedly "cooks off" but in my experience, you can usually still taste it pretty prominently in baked goods and so I wasn't convinced that it would be the best thing for my baby.  Thankfully, Nicole confirmed it would be okay to substitute almond extract and so that's what I did.

This cake is EXTREMELY tender.  The crumb is very delicate and I found that it fell apart as I tried to enjoy its deliciousness.  The prominent flavor is the chocolate, which is enhanced by the coffee and studded with almond flavoring and pieces.  My husband was completely delighted to see it sitting on our kitchen counter after he came home from the gym.  He approved :).

Thanks to Sarah at Taste of Home Cooking for running the swap and make sure you check out the rest of the recipes in the link hop below!

Two Years Ago: Handheld Breakfast Two Ways (French Toast Cups with Sausage and Apples; Savory Breakfast Muffins)
Three Years Ago: Stuffed Shells and Grasshopper Cookie Bars (an easy St. Patrick's day treat!)

Almond Mocha Cake


Almond Mocha Cake

Ingredients
  • ½ cup sliced almonds 
  • 1-1/4 cups strong coffee 
  • ½ cup butter 
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 
  • 1 cup sugar 
  • ¼ cup amaretto (I used 1 Tablespoon almond extract)
  • 2 cups flour 
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla 
  • 2 eggs 
  • Powdered sugar for dusting
Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 12 cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle the almonds into the pan and gently press to the bottom of the pan. 
  2. Warm your coffee in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the butter and chocolate chips and stir until mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large mixer bowl. Add the sugar and amaretto, stir to combine. Allow mixture to cool 5 minutes. 
  3. With the mixer at low speed, gradually blend in the flour and baking soda into the chocolate mixture. Add vanilla and eggs and mix on medium speed about 30 minutes, or until well blended. Carefully pour into prepared pan. Be careful not to disturb the nuts too much by pouring quickly. 
  4. Bake at 325 for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  5. Cool in the pan about 25 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. 
  6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Source: Recipe from Debbie Russell, 33rd Pillsbury BakeOff, Pillsbury Best of the BakeOff Cookbook as seen on Cookies on Friday


4 comments:

Cookaholic Wife said...

I really could use a slice of that cake! It looks great.

Dawn said...

This sounds soooo good! I think I'll be making this cake real soon!

Nicole said...

I'm glad the substitute worked, usually you can always sub out the alcohol. I'm glad it was well received, although a bit delicate.

Moviegirl03 said...

The almond part sounds great. I'm not a huge fan of coffee but I'm sure it wouldn't be noticeable.