Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Pecan-Chocolate-Espresso Coffee Cake


I am really lovingThe Back in the Day Bakery Cookbookhttp://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=ollapodrid-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1579654584.  I tried my second recipe from the book with, again, wonderful results. With my oldest son paying us an early morning visit to help us with some major chores, I thought a coffee cake was in order.  I’d been eying this one during my near daily perusals of the book, so made it this morning.  The interior is flavorful, dense, and moist; the topping is such a complex combination of flavors that your mouth won’t quite know what to think.  Suffice it to say that we all enjoyed it.

Pecan-Chocolate-Espresso Coffee Cake

2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 teaspoons espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup regular or low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking oil spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, both sugars, butter and salt in the bowl of a hand-held electric mixer or a stand mixer. Beat on low speed, then on medium speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Transfer 3/4 cup of the mixture to a small bowl. Stir in the toasted pecans, chocolate and espresso powder to form the crumb topping.

Sprinkle the baking soda onto the remaining flour-butter-sugar mixture; add the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla and almond extracts. Beat on medium speed just until combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the batter.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Set the pan on a cooling rack, and unmold when the cake has cooled.

MAKE AHEAD: The cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. 8 to 10 servings

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6 comments:

Lyndsay Wells said...

Pattie, you share the best recipes. I just love coffee cake and am pinning!

Janet Rudolph @ DyingforChocolate said...

Wow! I can almost taste this. You must do another guest post on DyingforChocolate with this! Yum!!!!

Nancy's Daily Dish said...

Looks and sounds divine...a must try! Thank you for sharing!

Nancy

Me And My Sweets said...

Yummie! I just found your blog on Foodie Friday. I'll host my own party every month called My Sweet Party and I would love you to join. Please visit my blog for mor info.

http://meandmysweets.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/my-sweet-party-chocolate-cake-love.html

Have a nice day!

Johanna

Karin Anderson said...

This is a WONDERFUL cake.
I made a few changes, though. Being no sweet toothed Southerner I cut the amount of sugar by half - it was still sweet enough - and I exchanged some white with whole wheat flour.
Even after 3 days on the porch the cake is as delicious and moist, as it came out of the oven.
Your pinterest post inspired me to buy the book, it's definitely worth it.
Karin

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed it! I found it long lasting as well, and I'm always experimenting with recipes and ingredients. Oh, that cookbook is wonderful and one of my favorites!