All-New Cake Mix Doctor - Anne Byrn [109]
Keep It Fresh! Store this cake, in a cake saver, at room temperature for one day or for up to one week in the refrigerator. Freeze the cake, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to three months. Let the cake thaw overnight in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours before serving.
Make the Most of Macadamias
Macadamia nuts are delicious but costly so preserve their precious flavor and crunch by storing them in the freezer, not the pantry. You can toast them straight from the freezer.
CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO POUND CAKE
serves:
12 to 16
prep:
15 minutes
bake:
48 to 54 minutes
cool:
40 minutes
SALLY KERR IN TORONTO calls herself the “Coffee Cake Queen,” referring to her keen ability for making great coffee cakes. She passed along this recipe for turning a chocolate cake mix into so much more by adding espresso powder, flour, and a handful of other ingredients. She enjoyed a recipe I had shared in The Dinner Doctor, called The Best Pound Cake, and couldn’t help but doctor it up. It’s always a compliment when someone tweaks my recipes!
Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pan
Flour, for dusting the pan
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain chocolate cake mix
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1 cup evaporated milk (see Notes)
½ cup vegetable oil
5 large eggs
1 to 2 tablespoons espresso powder or regular instant coffee granules (see Notes)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ recipe of Martha’s Chocolate Icing (page 480), or 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist a 10-inch tube pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust it with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside.
2. Place the cake mix, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, butter, sour cream, milk, oil, eggs, espresso powder, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the batter for 1½ minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. The batter should look smooth and thick. Pour the batter into the prepared tube pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula, and place the pan in the oven.
3. Bake the cake until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 48 to 54 minutes. Transfer the tube pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 15 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edges of the cake, shake the pan gently, and invert the cake onto a wire rack, then invert it again onto another wire rack so that the cake is right side up. Let the cake cool completely, about 25 minutes longer.
4. To glaze the cake, prepare half a recipe of Martha’s Chocolate Icing and pour it over the top of the cooled cake. Or, sift the confectioners’ sugar over the top of the cake. Slice the cake and serve.
Keep It Fresh! Store this cake, in a cake saver or loosely covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to one week. Freeze the cake, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to six months. Let the cake thaw overnight on the counter before serving.
Notes: Buy a 12-ounce can of evaporated milk and use the remainder in the icing, if desired.
Espresso powder is sold in many supermarkets and in specialty food shops.
Recipe Reminders
MADE FOR
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PREP NOTES
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