No Clever Title, Just Good Cake

I made a cake today! No, it wasn't this one. I made this cake three weeks ago before Hayden was born. I was pretty exhausted and didn't think I'd have time to make it, but my mom offered to help so we did this together. I'm pretty sure she was only interested because it was full of booze! haha! Either way, I appreciated her help because she cleaned up after me and took over when I had to sit and take breaks, which was often. It's amazing how much energy a baby can suck out of you! :-) Thank you Momma for helping me complete this month's Cake Slice cake!

This is the last month we are baking from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman so rather than everyone making the same cake, we all got to choose which one we wanted to bake. It was tough narrowing down the list because there were many I was drooling over. But in the end I settled on Mississippi Mud Cake with a Bourbon Espresso Glaze. Despite it being one of the only cakes Mr. H wanted, it was loaded with flavor and full of chocolate, espresso, and booze. It really was a no-brainer.

Before I set off to make this, I remembered that my dear friend Debby from A Feast For The Eyes also made this cake. So I went back to read her post and she mentioned that while it was good it could have been more moist so I made a subtle change and added some sour cream to the batter. It was the perfect addition to this cake. It was dense, the espresso was obvious but not too strong- really it just intensified the chocolate flavor and the Bourbon shone through in the cake and in the glaze, but it wasn't overpowering. It was the perfect trifecta- like a kicked up after dinner coffee drink. Debby suggested pouring some of that glaze over some ice cream and that's just what I did. Great idea.

Mississippi Mud Cake with Espresso Bourbon Glaze adapted from Cake keeper Cakes

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Cake:

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup brewed espresso
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Glaze:

• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 6 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
• 6 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons bourbon

For The Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup Bundt and dust with flour. Combine the flour, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter, chocolate, and espresso in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring until the butter and chocolate are melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the granulated sugar and bourbon.

Place the eggs, sour cream and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low to break up the eggs. Beat in the chocolate mixture. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans (if using).

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For The Glaze: Stir the butter, brown sugar, and espresso powder together in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter is melted. Whisk in the cream and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1 minute, remove from the heat, and whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth. Mix in the bourbon. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Place the cake, still on the wire rack, over a baking sheet (or parchment paper). Slowly drizzle the glaze over the cake, letting it run down the sides of the cake and covering as much of the cake as possible. Let stand until the glaze is set, about 1/2 an hour. Slice and serve.

Store uneaten cake on a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Monkey Bread With A Side Of Monkey Toes

A friend of mine, Maranda of Jolts & Jollies, gave birth to a beautiful baby boy last Monday, August the 8th. Mr. H and I went to visit her in the hospital the very next day when her little man, Baby N, was just one day old (go here to see Baby N). I was so excited to meet him. I got there, smelled him and and held that little bundle of deliciousness in my arms. Then I was told to check out his feet because his toes were incredibly long and "monkey" like. They were and I teased that when he got older he was going to pick things up with his feet. ha ha! Just 3 days later, I went to the doctor and got an ultrasound. We didn't get any clear pictures of his face, but we got a good one of his foot. As soon as the ultrasound tech saw them, she said, "he's got monkey toes!"

This month, for The Cake Slice Bakers, we baked a Hungarian Coffee Cake, also known as Monkey Bread. Because of this months selection, I thought it was perfect timing to share those stinky toes with you all. This Monkey Bread also marks the end of baking from Cake Keeper Cakes from Lauren Chattman. We've been baking from this book for nearly a year already and soon we will bake from a new cake cookbook. It's a secret for now, but I hope to share it with you all next month. I hope it's a good one!

On to this cake...it's Monkey Bread. You've all had it right? Little cakey or yeasty balls of dough, coated in butter and cinnamon sugar all baked together into a Bundt. The end result is a delicious smelling and tasting cake perfect for lazy weekend mornings. I especially liked this cake because it sat out on the counter all day and it was just to easy to walk by and pull a piece off. On the other hand, maybe that's not such a good thing. I halved the recipe and baked it into a 6-cup Bundt rather than making the entire cake, after all it is just the two of us eating for now. My only complaint is that is wasn't so fresh tasting on day two, but that's okay because we ate most of it anyway while it was still warm and gooey straight out of the oven. This version incorporates chopped nuts and raisins into the cake, but it would be equally delicious without them.

Monkey Bread from Cake Keeper Cakes

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For The Topping:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar

For The Cake:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 9 Tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. buttermilk, plus more if necessary
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
• 1/4 cup raisins, optional

For The Topping: Whisk together the melted butter and light brown sugar. Set aside.

For The Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a nonstick 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with flour.

Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a sipper-top bag. Cut the butter into a 1/4-inch dice. Place the butter in a small bowl and set it in the freezer while you gather the rest of the baking ingredients.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the chilled butter pieces and, with an electric mixer , mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal. (I incorporated my butter into the flour using a pastry cutter.)

Stir in the buttermilk until the mixture just comes together, adding an extra tablespoon or two if the mixture is too dry.

Use a small ice cream scoop or spoon to scoop up balls of dough and transfer them to the zipper top bag. Shake the bag to coat the balls with cinnamon sugar. (I only did about 3 balls of dough at a time, otherwise they stuck together.)

Place the coated balls of dough in the prepared pans, sprinkling nuts and raisins (if using) over them as you go. Pour the melted butter/sugar mixture over the cake.

Bake until the cake is firm and well risen and the caramel is melted, 35 to 40 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan, on a wire rack, for 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter and serve immediately.

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to a day.

NOTE: If halving this recipe, bake in a 6-cup Bundt pan for 35-40 minutes.

Cake Slice Rebellion :-)

I know I promised you all some baby shower dessert recipes, but I forgot that it was the 20th and it's time for me to post this month's Cake Slice Cake. I assure you that I will share a new recipe by this weekend- scouts honor. Every month, the Cake Slice Bakers, bake a different cake from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman and this month the cake of choice was Zebra Cake. If you've never seen a Zebra cake it's a cocoa and vanilla cake that you alternate batters with, creating circles of dark and light batter. Once baked and cut into, it looks like zebra stripes. Pretty yes, but very plain tasting and not totally worth the effort, in my opinion. Because of this, I chose to rebel against the Zebra cake and bake the cake that was runner up in the voting- Chocolate Zucchini Cake. Here's the Zebra cake I made last year but wasn't impressed with, so I never shared it.

My baking buddy, Maranda from Jolts & Jollies, made the Zebra cake said it didn't turn out so well and tasted a wee bit like cardboard. So we both decided to not waste any more time or ingredients on it and make something else we'd both enjoy. So she's my rebel companion in baking :-) Please go HERE to see how her cake turned out!

Anyway, on to the chocolate zucchini bundt cake- I absolutely adore it. There's never been a CZ cake that I didn't like. In fact, the very first recipe that I ever shared on this blog was chocolate zucchini cake and my mother requests it every year for her birthday. I've made a few different versions including a sheet cake, but THIS ONE is my favorite. I liked this version but felt is was just like a really moist, tender and richly chocolate cake. The main difference between my favorite and this one is that this one has sour cream, espresso powder and chocolate chips in it. My favorite version is a little simpler, is made with oil, cocoa and the zucchini shines through a little more. It's more like a quick bread than a cake, yet it's baked in a Bundt.

Really you can't go wrong with any of these. Just close your eyes, pick one, bake it and eat it all up!

1. Chocolate Zucchini Bundt
2. Chocolate Chip Zucchini Snack Cake

Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes

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• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa (plus more for dusting the pan)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cups sliced almonds, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with unsweetened cocoa powder or spray liberally with Bakers Joy nonstick spray.

Whisk together the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla in a large glass measuring cup and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder in a medium bowl and set aside.

Combine the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.

With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat until incorporated. Add 1/2 of the sour cream mixture. Repeat alternating flour and sour cream mixtures and end with the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary between additions.

Stir in the zucchini, chocolate chips and nuts, if using.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. (Mine took 65 minutes to bake). Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.

Store the uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

The Cake Slice: Baking With Maranda

I have a special "Cake Slice" cake for you today. "What makes it so special?" you may be asking yourself. It's special because I got to co-bake with my fellow Cake Slice Baker- Maranda of Jolts & Jollies! I first met Maranda in person back in December when she was visiting family and friends over the holidays. We wanted to bake together but time was limited. Lucky for me, she just moved back to Texas a few weeks ago, so hanging out together in the kitchen was finally possible.

Every month we get to vote on a selection of cakes and usually there is a definitive winner. However, this month there was a tie between Lime Chiffon Cake and Fresh Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Chips so we got to choose which one we wanted to bake. Maranda made one and I made the other. So today, you get two recipes for the price of one!

Maranda actually made her cake a couple times. She had issues with the first one and wasn't so pleased with it, but the second one came out beautifully- it was tall, light and airy. She even added a glaze to it to send it over the top. The step by step recipe for the Lime Chiffon Cake can be found on her blog- Jolts & Jollies.

My strawberry white chocolate chip cake came together really quickly and effortlessly. I did forget to dust my strawberries in flour before I folded them in, but it turned out just fine. The fresh strawberry flavor came through, there were sweet little buttery pockets from the white chocolate chips, and the lemon zest, was just enough to brighten it up without making it taste like lemon. It was really moist from the addition of the sour cream and I thoroughly enjoyed this cake. So much that I may or may not have eaten it for breakfast a couple days in a row :-) It was a little plain jane looking, but a little sweetened whipped cream and a strawberry garnish go a long way.

Strawberry White Chocolate Chip Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes

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• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 oz. strawberries, stemmed and sliced
• 1 cup white chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and dust it with flour, knocking out any extra. Set aside.

Combine the egg, egg yolk, sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla in a large glass measuring cup and lightly beat. Combine 1 1/4 cups. flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.

With the mixture on medium-low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream, stopping the mixture once or twice to scrape down the bowl.

Turn the mixture on low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.

Combine the strawberries and remaining 1/4 cup of flour in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Fold the flour covered berries along with the chocolate chips into the batter with a rubber spatula.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake the cake until it is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely. (I let mine cool in the pan). Cut into 9 squares and serve.

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Be sure to check out all the other Cake Slice Bakers' cakes!

Hit and Miss

Two posts in one week?! Yes, because it's Cake Slice Time! I can't believe it's already been a month since I last made a cake for The Cake Slice Bakers. Where does the time go? Last month's cake was a dense cream cheese pound cake, this time it's a light upside down cake. I have to admit being a little skeptical about this cake. Yes, I like oranges, and almonds and caramel, but I've never had them all together. Did it work? Yes and no.

I thought the cake part of this recipe was excellent. In fact I think I'd make it again and just nix the topping. It was super moist, tender, delicate and full of orange flavor. I had a little cake batter left and decided to mix it with a few chocolate chips and baked it in a cupcake tin. I ate it just warm out of the oven- oh so good! It's not too sweet either and would make an excellent muffin with fruit folded in.

I even liked the flavor of the topping and the crunch from the almonds but there was just something about the recipe that just didn't quite work. Firstly you cook the brown sugar and butter then layer it in a pan with sliced almonds and honey. I think the topping would have been better, uncooked and mixed all together because when it came to turning it out, the topping seperated from the cake. The caramel was just too hard and chewy, almost like a praline. it tasted good, but it was hard to eat. We ended up peeling off the topping and eating the cake seperately, taking a few bites of the nutty caramel in between bites. All in all, I liked this cake, it just needs a little tweaking. Below is the original, unadapted recipe. Keep that in mind if you make this cake.

Orange Almond Upside-Down Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes

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For The Topping:

• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey

For The Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. grated orange zest

Make the topping: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch round nonstick cake pan and dust with flour. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper and grease and flour the parchment.

Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast until golden, 8-10 minutes. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Whisk in the brown sugar, turn the heat to low, and cook, whisking for 2 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula, Drizzle with the honey. Scatter the toasted almonds over the honey. Set aside.

Make the cake: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Combine the sour cream, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla in a glass measuring cup and lightly beat.

Combine the butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the of the bowl once or twice as necessary. Stir in the orange zest.

With the mixer on medium-low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides.

Turn the mixture to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on a medium speed.

Pour the batter over the almonds, gently spreading it into an even layer with a spatula.

Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let stand for a couple minutes.

Holding the pan and a plate together firmly with oven mitts, immediately invert the hot cake onto the plate. Peel away the parchment paper. If necessary, replace and almonds stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let the cake cool for 20 minutes and serve warm, or at room temperature.

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper at room temperature, or wrap loosely in a plastic and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.

NOTE: This recipe makes quite a bit of batter. Be sure not to overfill your pan or you’ll have overflow. Bake any excess cake batter in a separate tin.

Have you made any recipes lately that tasted good, but didn't quite work?

Half A Pound

It's time for more cake, this time brought to you by the Cake Slice Bakers! I missed last month's cake because I just plain forgot about it until it was too late and I was already baking a triple layer 70th birthday cake. I didn't want the other cake to go to waste and I knew we wouldn't eat it so it didn't get made. However, I was not going to miss out on this cake though because it got rave reviews from all the other bakers and because it's a style of cake I've never made before- a Cold-Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake. It did not disappoint.

I did make a couple of changes to the recipe to suit my tastes. Firstly, I halved the recipe because I was warned by more than one person that it made a ton of batter. The half recipe still made a substantial amount of cake, but I shared with neighbors so it was more than okay. The second thing I changed was to omit the freshly grated ginger, because I'm not a big fan, but I left the full amount of lemon zest in the recipe. And because they're pretty, I added a handful of fresh blueberries and raspberries to the batter. I have both recipes for you down below, so you can make the pound cake of your choice. Whether you half the recipe or make the full amount, be sure your pan is big enough to accommodate all the batter or divide it up into smaller pans, so you don't have overflow.

I made two smaller Bundts as well as a 4-inch round cake. One Bundt had blueberries, the other had raspberries and the smaller cake that we didn't share enjoyed at home had both berries incorporated throughout. They were buttery and moist, tender yet firm cakes. The cream cheese adds a smooth, creamy richness to the batter that the author describes as "velvety". And another unique thing about this recipe is that it starts off baking in a cold oven, hence the title of the recipe. Those few extra minutes allow the cake time to rise as it develops a lovely golden crust. Speaking of lovely, this would make the perfect dessert this Easter Sunday- top it off with lightly sweetened whipped cream to make it even better. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Berries adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes

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• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 cup fresh berries (I used raspberries and blueberries)

Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with flour. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter, cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 a cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Place the cake in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 325 degrees F and bake, without opening the oven door, until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-45 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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Cold-Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes

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• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 eggs, room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest

Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with flour. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter, cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla, ginger and lemon zest.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 a cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Place the cake in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 325 degrees F and bake, without opening the oven door, until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 65-80 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

P.S. I'm 18 weeks pregnant today! I'm more pregnant than I've ever been and it feels awesome!

Cake With A Crunch

I know I've been MIA lately, but I'm hoping this cake will more than make up for it. If you like cake, and coffee, and chocolate covered Heath toffee bits, then you'll love this cake. These are all some of my favorite baking flavors so this cake was delicious to me. It doesn't look like much, but it's packed full of flavor with an espresso laced cake, and a buttery toffee crumble on top. It's very simple and ready in less than an hour, from start to finish.

I do have some good news in that I'm finally feeling better. I still have a little congestion and I managed to get my brother and husband sick in the process but we are finally back in the game and doing much better. Although my brother does not admit to being sick. He says sickness is all a state of mind, yet he was asking for cough syrup and his throat was hurting and he was congested like the rest of us. Yeah okay, if you say so. I'm mentioning my brother because his birthday was Thursday when I made this cake. He was staying with us for about a week and left right before I made this so he didn't get to taste it. But I did think of him while I ate it :-). Happy 30th birthday Joe!

This cake had a great contrast of textures. The cake base was moist and tender but the crumbly streusel topping was crunchy and sweet. I really like coffee flavored things, but if you're not a fan, the instant espresso could easily be omitted and you'll be left with a vanilla batter that would still be delicious with the chocolate and toffee. Lauren Chattman (the author of this book) says this cake was developed because of a love for an ice cream with similar flavors. I don't know what ice cream flavor that would be, but I want some! To check out all the other Cake Slice Bakers, click the link.

Coffee Heath Bar Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes

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For the Cake:

• 1½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp instant espresso powder (optional, see note)
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

For the Streusel:

• 4 Heath bars (1.4 oz. each) chopped, or 1 cup prechopped Heath bits
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch round springform pan.

For the Streusel: Combine the Heath toffee bits, brown sugar, flour and butter in a medium mixing bowl. Work the mixture with your fingers until it resembles large crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Cake: Combine the flour, espresso powder, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

With the mixer on low speed, add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla.With the mixer on low speed, add a third of the flour mixture and then half the milk, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Repeat, alternating the flour and milk, ending with the flour.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer with a spatula. Scatter the streusel onto the batter, distributing it evenly over the cake.

Bake the cake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes (Mine was done in 50 minutes). Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Release the sides of the pan and use a large spatula to slide the cake from the pan bottom to onto a wire rack.

Cool completely, cut into wedges and serve. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

NOTE: If you don't enjoy the coffee flavoring, it can be omitted from the recipe.