Comfort in Sadness

On Wednesday, a very special person passed away- my Uncle Gene. In honor of his life, I decided to make a decadent chocolate bundt cake with a chocolatey glaze. Food is a powerful thing. It has the ability to bring comfort in a time of sadness. No matter what’s going on in our lives, food tends to lift our spirits. Funny how that works. I love to swoop in when someone is feeling down and bring a little happiness back into their life by giving them the gift of food. It always seems to put a smile on their face and rejuvenate their soul. This chocolate cake has a job to do; it’s going to lift my Aunt’s spirits in a time of heartache.

This cake is guaranteed to make someone smile. Maybe even do a little jig. I’d totally do a jig if someone gave me this fine looking cake.

You’re going to start by heating the coffee and the cocoa powder in a medium pot on medium low heat until it comes to a boil- whisking frequently.

Let the mixture cool to room temperature before using it in your batter.

Add the sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs, and egg yolk to a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment. Beat on high for 1 minute.

In a medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, canola oil, and vanilla. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture to the sugar mixture. Beat for another minute.

Sift flour and add it to the mixing bowl in 3 batches. Beat for 2 minutes.

Now, add the best part- the heated chocolate/coffee mixture. I love the look the batter has when the chocolate mixture is being incorporated.

I finished whisking my batter with a whisk, but you can finish this process with the stand mixture. I just wanted to show you how beautiful the batter looks when the chocolate is added.

Pour your beautiful batter into a prepared bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour, or until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean. While the cake bakes, whip up your glaze. The glaze for this cake is decadent and super chocolatey. It’s a cross between a glaze and a frosting. The coffee that’s added to the glaze creates a glossy finish and depth of flavor that enhances the chocolatey aspect of this glaze.

Start by chopping up 3 oz. of unsweetened chocolate.

Add the chocolate to a double boiler until all the bits are melted and the mixture is smooth.

Melt 6 tablespoons of butter- I melted mine right in the microwave for 30 seconds. Measure out 1/4 cup of sour cream and make a cup of strong coffee.

Add your melted butter and chocolate to a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment and beat until combined.

Add 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar to the mixture in 2 batches. Before adding the second batch, add the sour cream, then continue adding the second batch of powdered sugar, making sure to scrap down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything gets incorporated.

Next, add 2 tablespoons of your brewed coffee to the mixture. The mixture will become glossy and beautiful. Set aside until the cake cools and is ready to be glazed. When the cake is cooled and ready, pour the glaze all over the cake. You can direct the glaze with an offset spatula. The glaze should drip over the sides of the cake, creating stunning folds of chocolatey goodness. I’ve made this cake several times, and gifted it several times. It’s a definite tummy pleaser and will surely put a smile on that special someone’s face. Enjoy!

Love and Sweet Treats,

The Messy Baker

For the Cake:

Adapted from Joy the Baker

1 1/4 cups plus 1 Tablespoon brewed coffee

3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

1 1/4 cups plus 1 Tablespoon buttermilk

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoon canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups, plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan, set aside.

Place brewed coffee and cocoa powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat and let the mixture come to room temperature.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a whisk attachment, mix together sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs and egg yolk on low speed for about 1 minute. Add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract and mix on low again for another minute.

Add the flour and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the cooled cocoa mixture and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. The batter will be very loose. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool completely in the pan and then invert onto a cooling rack.

For the Glaze:

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate

6 tbs unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature

1/8 cup brewed coffee, cooled

Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place them in a heatproof bowl (or a double boiler). Set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Be sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the boiling water. Remove the bowl from the heat when all of the chocolate bits have melted.

Melt the butter in a separate pan or in the microwave. Whisk the melted butter into the melted chocolate until thoroughly incorporated. Sift in half of the powdered sugar. Add the sour cream and whisk to combine. Sift in the remaining powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. The glaze should be thick and shiny. Lastly, add the coffee and whisk to create a glossy glaze.

Pour the glaze over the cooled bundt cake, covering it completely. Leave at room temperature until ready to serve.