H is for Hot Fudge: Hot Fudge Mocha Brownie Cake (Jessica)

Hello Readers!

Sometimes, chocolate doesn't really need much of an introduction, so I'll keep this short (and sweet!). I remember when I was in middle school, my friends and I used to go from Lexington to Burlington on Friday nights to go eat dinner at Chili's. Why we thought this was so amazing, I can't entirely remember, but part of the reason must have been their Molten Chocolate Cake. Just one to share, it was totally enormous. And man, was it good. Have you ever had a dream about dessert?

Fast forward a few years to this weekend and I've discovered the secret: molten chocolate cakes are incredibly easy to make! Who needs Chili's now that I can make this at home?!!


Hot Fudge Mocha Brownie Cake
from myrecipes.com
makes 1 8-inch round cake

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour 
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided 
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature 
3 tablespoons vegetable oil 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa 
1 1/2 cups boiling water 
Instant Coffee Powder as directed (or, just use 1 1/2 cups of coffee)


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together flour, next 3 ingredients, and 3/4 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl.

 

2. Stir in milk, oil, and vanilla. Spread batter in a lightly greased 8-inch square pan.

3. Combine brown sugar, cocoa, and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl; sprinkle over batter in pan.

4. Using a spoon, gently drizzle 1 1/2 cups boiling coffee (just combine coffee powder and water to make coffee) over batter, being careful not to disturb layers. (Do not stir.)

5. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a cake layer forms on top and layer springs back when touched. Let cool on a wire rack 25 minutes.
6. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!

Review:
Wow, this cake was amazing. It was so easy and so impressive!  I didn't realize that the only trick to gooey warm chocolate cakes is the boiling water on top. Seriously, try this.  I brought the cake to a dinner party and it seemed to be a hit...I guess because it's rare to find a group of women who won't dig into a warm chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to balance it out. :) My only critique is that I used Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (which is all I had) and I could tell it was Hershey's when eating the cake. I think because of the large amount of cocoa powder in this recipe, I would buy some really high quality cocoa powder next time. I don't think of Hershey's as top of the line and my discerning chocolate palate could tell the difference in the finished product.  Or maybe I'm just becoming a kitchen snob... :)

Here's what was left after the party!

-Jessica



PS. Jen's secret ingredient next week is more of a theme than an ingredient: IRISH!