Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Mystery Mocha Cake

From Mystery Mocha Cake

For our book club on Sunday, I decided to take a chocolaty dessert for my dinner contribution. I know you are shocked, aren't you? Since I knew Sunday was going to be a busy day and not a day of rest as it should be (but it was fun-busy), I decided to make a quick and easy dessert that I found in Paula Deen's The Lady &Sons Just Desserts recipe book. Let me tell you, this dessert had all the makings of perfection for me. It married two of my FAVORITE loves; coffee and chocolate.

Here is the recipe:


Mystery Mocha Cake
~Paula Deen

3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 one ounce square semisweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup coffee

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square pan.

Mix together the 3/4 cup granulated sugar, flour, and baking powder.

Melt together chocolate and butter in a saucepan and add to flour mixture. Add milk and vanilla, mixing well. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Combine the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, cocoa, and brown sugar. Sprinkle over batter. Pour coffee on top of this and do not stir. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cake should have a chocolate syrup base on the bottom. This cake is best when served warm.

This was the result:

From Mystery Mocha Cake

This dessert came out hot and bubbling with chocolaty goodness all over! As promised, you could see the syrup oozing from under the cake, along the sides. I used a deep 9-inch square pan. The cake is more brownie looking than cake texture, but it is so good, especially when served warm. I highly recommend serving it warm. I served mine at room temperature, and although it was good, it did not have the optimum flavor as it did when I heated it. It was also difficult serving it from a cold pan. The syrup of course did what it does best when cooled, it stuck, so did the cake to the pan. Not that it did anything to take away from the flavor, but it was a little itsy-bitsy embarrassing trying to pry the slices off the pan. So take it from me, re-heat (warm) the pan before serving if you let it get to room temperature. Also, if you want a thicker cake, just double the recipe, and use a deep 9-inch square pan OR use the same recipe and use a smaller pan, just remember to adjust for time.

Other than that, it was simple and delicious. I only wish I had served it with some ice cream. And maybe some caramel sauce. And maybe some pecans. And maybe some extra chocolate sauce. And maybe...Okay, I will stop! You see? I am hopeless.

From Mystery Mocha Cake

Until next time...

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

This cake sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing.

Dragana said...

This broke my diet! Delic!

Linda said...

Oh gosh...I want to lick the screen!

Anonymous said...

My daughter says - "I love chocolate and this cake looks yummy!" My thoughts exactly :)

Linda said...

It's me again! The hearts on my web page are made of beets. Aren't they cute? It is actually a photo I found on line.

And hey, Texas girl, I would be happy to send on down some snow to you. We have plenty! :-)

Jennifer said...

My two favorite things as well! Looks delish!

Barbara Bakes said...

How can you go wrong with a Paula Deen recipe! I left you some awards on my blog!

Taylor Elise said...

Thanks! I love this cake. Seeing your blog makes me want to make it again.

Pamela said...

Whoa...that looks dangerously good!

Sherry Trifle - Lovely Cats said...

Love that Mocha Cake! I enjoy Paula Deen's recipes.

Maria said...

The cake looks awesome!!

Anonymous said...

Would you look at that...that is so decadent! I love it!

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Cathy said...

Oh sweet mercy -- that looks AMAZING! I can't even imagine what that must be like warm with ice cream. Hopefully I won't have to wait too long to find out!

(oh, and to answer your question, I just grate apples using a box grater. Quick and easy!)

Melissa said...

Oooh, that last picture you have, where it's all oozing and gooey - WOW! I want some!

Anonymous said...

did you say "bubbling chocolate goodness?" wow...i wish i could have a bite of that!! great job, carolina!

Ally said...

Oh My!!! That looks so Yummy! Thanks for sharing. I have that cook book and haven't made a thing from it. I guess I need to pull that out.

Unknown said...

Hi, just a comment about the cake sticking. My mother made this cake for years when we were kids and I've carried on the tradition. We always remove it from the oven, let it set up til the pan is not hot, but warm, and then invert the cake onto a tray. That way ALL of the delicious pudding goes on top of the cake. This is one of my family's favorite desserts and has been for 60 years. Thanks for sharing.