Coffee Lovers Cake

Coffee is definitely the solution to all my morning woes. Cake is probably the solution to ALL my woes. At least many of them! So I figured out that the best way to deal with life and its woes is to make a coffee cake. Not just any cake but a very rich, intensely coffee-ish cake. This Mocha Mud cake has been topped with Coffee Buttercream and drizzled with Mocha sauce. If you are crazy for coffee, this is your cake.

It’s Halloween tomorrow and I am just not guilty for making a creepy looking something. But everyone seems to be enjoying it and coming up with both scary and cute creations. I cannot make a single spooky treat to save my life and since I was feeling quite left out, I thought this cake was somewhat more apt to share at this time than my floral creations. Tall, dark, handsome:-) Now tell me is it freaking you out? No? Great! That was not my intention anyway. But the taste will. It is so freaking good!

 

Mocha Mud cake
Makes a 6 inch round cake

250g butter, chopped
200 g good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
11/4 cup freshly brewed strong coffee (or 1 tbsp instant coffee powder dissolved 11/4 cup warm water)
11/4 cup castor sugar (or more depending on the strength of the coffee you are using)
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1 cup self-raising flour
1 cup plain flour

Coffee Buttercream
125 g unsalted butter, softened
1.5 cups icing sugar
2 tbsp strongly brewed coffee (or 1tsp instant coffee powder dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water and cooled)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp milk (if consistency is not smooth)

Mocha Sauce

100 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 cup (125 ml) pouring cream
1 tsp instant coffee powder

Preheat oven to 160 degree C. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20 cm round cake pan with baking paper.

Place butter, chocolate and coffee in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes to cool.

Pour chocolate mixture into a large bowl. Add sugar and egg, and use a wire balloon whisk to whisk until well combined. Sift flours over chocolate mixture and stir with the whisk until well combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 1  1/4 hours or until crumbs cling to a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake (cover with non-stick baking paper halfway through cooking if it browns too quickly). Remove from oven and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Once cooled completely, pipe or spread coffee buttercream on the top of the cake. Drizzle with mocha sauce. Sprinkle with cocoa nibs (if using).

To make the coffee buttercream, using an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft and fluffy. Add the icing sugar, little at a time, beating after each addition until combined.
Add the coffee mixture, vanilla essence and beat till combined. If consistency of the buttercream is too thick, add milk to soften it.

To make the Mocha sauce, place the dark chocolate, thickened cream and coffee in a medium saucepan over low heat.
Use a metal spoon to stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Cool before use.