Mocha cake with mocha cream cheese frosting

Nine years ago on Columbus Day, Bun decided that she wanted me to take care of her, so to commemorate this important event I made a cake.  Bun liked the frosting so much that by the time I had taken nine photos of her, she had gobbled up almost an 1/8th of a teaspoon of it. 

So yes: this cake is suitable for celebrating important kitty milestones.  And since it is a healthy Ellie Krieger dessert, that's about all it is good for.  That and mindless snacking.  It's one of those 191-calories-per-serving cakes.  But please allow me to confirm/deny Ellie's claims in her pre-recipe paragraph of hype.

"Moist."  The middle pieces are moist on day 2.  Edge pieces on day 1 are kind of dry.

"Tantalizing java jolt."  I'm highly sensitive to caffeine, and 1/16th of a tablespoon of instant espresso powder, which is what you get in one piece of this cake, neither tantalized nor jolted me.

"Decadent."  The frosting is neither sweet nor thick enough to be considered decadent in my book.

"Dense." This cake is nowhere near as dense as my breasts.  Yup, still thinkin' about that!

But hey, it's a good source of protein and thiamine!  YES!!  Let's make this 22-ingredient cake!

INGREDIENTS

for the cake:

• cooking spray
• 3/4 C whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• 2 T butter, melted
• 2 T canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 C plain nonfat yogurt
• 2 t vanilla
• 3/4 C sugar
• 1 T instant espresso powder, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water  <--you can also go with regular instant coffee, but use a little more if you want stronger coffee flavor.
• 2 oz good-quality dark chocolate (60-70% cocoa solids)

for the frosting:

• 8 oz package Neufchatel cheese (reduced-fat cream cheese, softened)
• 1/3 C powdered sugar
• 1 t instant espresso powder, dissolved in 1 teaspoon hot water
• 1 t Kahlua coffee liqueur or vanilla

for garnish:

• 1 square good quality dark chocolate, grated over the cake

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.  Coat a 9x13 cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Whisk together both flours, the cocoa, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and oil.  Add the whole eggs and egg whites and whisk to incorporate.  Fold in the yogurt, vanilla, sugar, and dissolved espresso powder.  Break up and melt the chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl in the microwave (3 blasts, 30 seconds each, stirring in between), or over simmering water in a double boiler.  Fold the melted chocolate into the batter.  It will look ugly and strange. 

Gradually add the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated; do not overbeat.  It will not look ugly and strange anymore.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake until the cake has risen nicely and a toothpick inserted into the centter comes out clean, 25-30 minutes.  Mine was done at 22, so check yours at 20 minutes or so, OK?  Let cool completely on a rack.

While the cake is cooling, make the frosting.  Combine all frosting ingredients in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft and creamy.  Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake in the pan.  Finely grate the square of chocolate over the frosted cake.  The cake should be stored in the refrigerator, where it will keep for about 3 days.  Um, we are totally keeping it out on the counter and are living to tell the tale, but follow your heart here.

Note: cats shouldn't eat chocolate or coffee, but really all Bun was eating up there was a tiny amount cream cheese with trace--trace!!--amounts of diluted coffee in it.  LIKE ONE MOLECULE OF COFFEE.  She is fine and napping as I type this.

Comments

[Elizabeth Mackey]

Yay, a picture of BUN :) Always a good thing. My daughter and I often wonder how Bun is.

I think I made some muffins from an Ellie Krieger, and they were not half bad, but a cake, ummmm I don't know.

[Alison]

Thank you thank you thank you!
I have had a friend asking me to make him a Mocha cake for close to 3 years! I have NEVER had one and now I had a recipe! YAY!
Thanks!

[Kelly]

Cool, Alison! I hope you like it. It's not the most incredible cake you'll ever eat, but it is mocha!

[Kelly]

Also you could probably add a tablespoon of espresso powder dissolved in a tablespoon of hot water to any chocolate cake and it'd become a mocha cake. :)

[Jocelyn]

cold have used more espresso.. it tasted like a chocolate cake, not like a mocha cake