Saturday, June 8, 2013

Coffee Cake


What's better than nuts, chocolate and coffee all together in the same cake?  Not much!  I love a good coffee cake and although my quest to wear a bathing suit this summer (after three kids - yikes!) means that I'm cutting back on sweet treats, I can't wait to make this one again.  It's not overly sweet, it's super easy to make, and the combination of flavors was delicious.  

Pecan Chocolate Espresso Coffee Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 teaspoons espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup regular or low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prep a 9-inch square baking pan with baking spray or butter.   

Combine the flour, both sugars, butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low speed, then on medium speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Pull out 3/4 cup of the mixture and place in another mixing bowl. Stir in the pecans, chocolate and espresso powder to form the crumb topping.

Sprinkle the baking soda onto the remaining flour-butter-sugar mixture; add the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla and almond extracts. Beat on medium speed just until combined. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle the crumb topping on top.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

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