Mocha Muffins turned into a... Mocha Cake

One of the 4 recipe books I got for Christmas is Best Ever MUFFINS, Cupcakes and Other Baked Treats. So far I have baked out of it twice. Both treats were delish! The post for the other one will be for later because I didn’t take pictures of it. This mochalicious delight has a perfect mix of chocolate and cranberry morsels that adds a touch of sweetness to every bite.

This Mocha Cake recipe is actually supposed to be baked into muffins… but I was in a time crunch and just decided to pour the entire batter into a cake pan. Some of the ingredients required in the original recipe were strong coffee, instant coffee powder, almond extract, and raisins. I substituted them with espresso, cacao nibs, vanilla extract, and cranberries.

When a muffin recipe is turned into a cake, you should not feel unclassy for eating it without a fork during the day… a slice can be treated like a muffin. However, I recommend using a fork if you decide to have it for dessert after dinner.

flour mixture

cocoa nibs, chocolate chips, cranberries

the batter

cocoa topping

ready to be popped in the oven

Mocha Cake (Makes 10 servings)
(adapted from Best Ever Muffins, Cupcakes, and Other Baked Treats)

vegetable oil spray, for pan
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
pinch of salt
4 oz butter, melted
scant ¾ cup raw sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup milk (I used nonfat and it turned out ok)
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp espresso
1 tbsp cacao nibs (Scharffen Berger)
¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips
generous 1/3 cup cranberries

Cocoa Topping

3 tbsp raw sugar
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp allspice

Spray the cake pan with vegetable oil. (I coated it with the leftover melted butter.)

Sift the flour, baking powder, cocoa, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Put cacao nibs, chocolate chips, and cranberries in a small bowl.
Add the cranberry mixture to the flour mixture and stir together.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and raw sugar together, then stir in beaten egg.

Pour in the milk, vanilla extract, and espresso.
Gently mix together.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and gently stir together until just combined.

Do not overstir the batter. It’s ok for it to be a little lumpy.
 
Pour the batter into the oiled/buttered cake pan.

Make the topping by mixing the sugar, cocoa, and all-spice really well in a small bowl.

Sprinkle the topping over the batter and move the pan into a preheated oven, 375 degrees F, and bake for about 28 minutes.

Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the cake… you’re all set if it comes out clean. Don’t be tricked if there’s gooey stuff on the toothpick, you might have stabbed a chocolate chip, so try inserting the toothpick in another spot.

I recommend making this recipe into muffins, like it should be. It makes 12. For muffins, pour the batter into a muffin pan, lined with paper liners (or not), and move it into an oven preheated to 375 degrees F, for 20 minutes or until risen.

ENJOY!