Chocolate Coffee Cake

Soft coffee-flavoured chocolate cake with silky coffee ganache

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 1 5

Total Time: 1 35

Makes: 8 large slices

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Ingredients

For the cake

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsps boiling hot water (155 ml)+ 4 tsps instant coffee powder (see notes)
1/3 cup cocoa powder (30 gms)
1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (160 gms)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt if using unsalted butter
140 gms butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar (105 gms)
3/4 cup caster sugar (140 gms)
2 eggs, at room temperature (I have not tried an eggless version)
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup plain thick yoghurt (75 gms), at room temperature

For the coffee ganache

100 gms chocolate (50% to 60% dark), finely chopped
3/4th cup whipping cream/regular cream (190 ml)
2 tsps instant coffee

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160 C and grease a 9" springform tin or round cake tin.
Combine the hot water and coffee powder, stirring until dissolved. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, sift the cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars with a hand mixer until pale and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat to combine.
Add a couple of tablespoons of the flour mixture to stabilise the batter then beat in the yoghurt. If your batter still looks like it split, it's ok and will come together in the next step.
Now, add the rest of the flour mixture and the cooled coffee alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Fold gently with a silicone spatula till you have a smooth, not very thick batter. If your batter has a few lumps, you can now run the hand mixer through it for a few seconds. Because coffee is acidic, the batter may have a slightly grainy appearance, don't worry about it.
Pour into the prepared tin and smoothen the top. Bake for 1 hour and then another 5 to 10 minutes until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Start checking for doneness at 50 minutes because ovens vary. Allow the cake to cool completely at room temperature.
To make the ganache, combine the cream and coffee powder in a small saucepan and gently heat on low, till warm and barely simmering, not boiling. Pour over the finely chopped chocolate and let it rest for a minute. Then use a spatula to stir until the chocolate has melted completely and the ganache is smooth and glossy.
Let the ganache cool for 10 mins, then place in the fridge for 20 minutes to thicken it. You can certainly chill it further if you prefer it much thicker. Pour slowly over the top of the cake, and smoothen around the sides. Ganache sets even at room temperature, so if you have any leftover, you can add another layer of it once the first layer has set. Alternately, you can slice the cake in half and spread the ganache in the center and then on the top and sides. I've done it both ways, it's delicious whichever you choose!
The cake tastes best at room temperature and can be stored that way in an airtight tin for a day, after which I prefer to refrigerate it. Bring individual slices to room temperature or gently reheat it, because butter cakes firm up in the fridge. Will keep for 5 to 6 days. Happy baking!

Notes

*I used Bru instant coffee powder in both the cake and the ganache. I feel it has the strongest flavour that comes through in baked goods. Four teaspoons gives a noticeable but not over powering flavour (the dominant taste is still chocolate) but you can reduce or increase that amount if you wish. Outside India, espresso powder is often used for the same results. I've always felt brewed coffee doesn't have as strong a flavour once baked, but if you prefer that, you can absolutely use 155 ml of that instead.

*Watch this cake come together on Instagram!

*Cake batter from a recipe in the Baked Explorations cookbook via Completely Delicious

*Shop this recipe: Caster Sugar, Cocoa, Bitter Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Coffee