Email to Stella      

Spice: Espresso Spice Cake

Source of Recipe

King Arthur Flour


Recipe Introduction

"The first bite of this cake never fails to elicit a strong response: typically, the taster will pause while a look of disbelief crosses his or her face, followed quickly by a smile, a sigh, words of praise… or simply the act of taking another bite."

Recipe Link: www.kingarthur.com

List of Ingredients

Filling
1/2 cup (3 3/4 ounces) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 ounces) raisins, sultanas or currants
1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons (5/8 ounce) unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or dutch-process
2 teaspoons (1/8 ounce) ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons (1/8 ounce) espresso powder or 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
1 teaspoon allspice

Cake
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks, 6 ounces) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (11 1/4 ounces) Baker's Special Sugar or granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or Princess Cake Flavor
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3 cups (12 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 pint (16 ounces) plain or vanilla yogurt

Icing
2 teaspoons (1/8 ounce) espresso powder or 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
1 teaspoon hot water
4 ounces (1/2 package) cream cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups (8 ounces) confectioners' sugar or glazing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of salt

Topping
1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) raisins, sultanas or currants
1/4 cup (1 ounce) diced walnuts


Recipe

Filling: Combine the dark brown sugar, dried fruit, walnuts, cocoa, spices and espresso powder (or instant coffee) in a small bowl. Set the mixture aside.

Cake: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the flavor and salt, then the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with the yogurt, beating just until thoroughly combined.

Spoon about 2 cups of the batter into a buttered 10-inch tube pan, using enough to completely cover the bottom. Sprinkle with a third of the filling. Repeat this layering twice; top with the remaining batter. Note: You should end up with four layers of batter and three layers of filling; obviously, the batter layers will be very thin. Don't worry about covering the filling with the batter entirely each time; just spread it around as best you can.

Baking: Bake the cake in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until it starts to pull away from the sides of the pan; it'll feel firm, and be an even, golden brown. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack.

Icing: Mix together the espresso or coffee powder and the hot water. Cool to room temperature.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter till smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar, then the vanilla, salt and coffee mixture. Continue beating until fluffy.

Assembly: Remove the cake from the pan, place it on a serving plate, and spread it with the icing. Sprinkle the dried fruit and walnuts on top and down the sides a bit.

YIELD: 16 Servings

Nutrition information per serving (1/16 of cake, 140g): 460 cal, 21g fat, 7g protein, 27g complex carbohydrates, 36g sugar, 2g dietary fiber, 87mg cholesterol, 207mg sodium, 265mg potassium, 184RE vitamin A, 1mg vitamin C, 2mg iron, 110mg calcium, 135mg phosphorus, 12mg caffeine.

This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet (r) (Vol. XII, No5, Summer 2001 issue). The Baking Sheet is a newsletter published six times a year by The Baker's Catalogue(r), P.O. Box 876, Norwich, Vermont 05055. (The Baking Sheet and The Baker's Catalogue are both registered trademarks of The Baker's Catalogue, Inc.)