Coffee and ginger in a chocolate cake? Trust me, it works. While I’ve baked with coffee in chocolate treats before, I’d not included ginger in a chocolate recipe in the past. You don’t taste either the coffee or the ginger on their own, but they make the cake absolutely delicious.
This recipe is adapted slightly from Joy the Baker; she calls it the perfect chocolate Bundt cake, and I have to agree. I used sea salt instead of kosher and added more vanilla than the original recipe, then chose to cover it with an easy-to-make vanilla frosting. You could serve it with whipped cream or powdered sugar as Joy suggests, which would also be delicious. But the addition of the vanilla icing gives this cake a super-posh Hostess snack cake kind of vibe, and honestly it’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever baked.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa, plus more for the pan
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
For the frosting
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan and dust with Dutch-process cocoa powder, tapping out the excess cocoa. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine sugar, Dutch-process cocoa powder, flour, sea salt, baking soda, baking powder, and ginger.
In another bowl, whisk together eggs and egg yolk, then whisk in coffee, buttermilk, and vegetable oil one ingredient at a time – this helps avoid the mixture sloshing around and splashing out all over your counter.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until the batter comes together, then whisk to fully combine so that no lumps remain; the batter is fairly thin. Pour into prepared Bundt pan and bake for 40 – 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs (mine needed about 42 minutes). Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely; I place parchment on my wire rack to help support the cake and avoid that mesh pattern in the bottom as it cools. Cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting, combine melted butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract and mix until completely smooth. Spoon over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides and middle; you end up with a lot of frosting for this and it basically covers the cake completely. Allow frosting to set before serving.
Store cake in an airtight container at room temperature; this cake will stay moist for at least a few days. Makes about 12 slices.
amy bakes in the 'burgh 