I made this simple but magnificent cake at Mom’s in BC, and I had to find out if I could reproduce it in my own kitchen. I didn’t change the recipe one iota in either place, keeping the all purpose flour, the white sugar, and the butter, but for all I know, the magic may have stayed on the west coast. It could have been the coffee from Serious Coffee, or Mom’s organic flour, or the special green egg from the egg lady. It could have been Mom’s Kitchen Aid mixer. It could have been the weather for all I know, and the ocean air. But maybe it’s just that this mocha cake is delicious. I had to find out.
I creamed 1/3 of a cup of butter with 1 1/2 cups of sugar in my trusty Sunbeam mixer, which I love just as much as others love their Kitchen Aids.
I added an egg (not green) and a teaspoon of vanilla.
Once that was thoroughly mixed, I got the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl: flour (nothing organic or Canadian, but the every-trusty King Arthur brand), baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.
I whisked.
Now here’s where things went a little better than they did in BC. I have a bowl with a pouring spout, so adding the flour mixture went fairly smoothly, and I didn’t spill any of it onto the counter.
This time I didn’t have a cup of Serious Coffee, but I did have our own household staple: Pike Place from Starbucks. It gets us through our days, and it has my full confidence.
The mixing went well.
It smelled great, and tasted even better. I actually wanted to drink it, but instead I poured it into the pan.
I put it in the oven. 25 minutes later, it was done.
I took a piece tonight. It’s still very good — VERY good — but it doesn’t have that magical soft texture that it had in BC. It’s close, but not exactly there.
It’s still dangerously delicious and I still want to eat the whole thing, but I have to try again. I must find out how to get that perfect texture back.
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