One-Bowl Chocolate Mocha Cream Cake

 

Dear Betty Crocker,

I win. 

Sincerely,
Victorious made-from-scratcher

For years I've been misled to think that a delicious, out-of-this-world dessert meant breaking the bank at a bakery. Hoodwinked to think that a quick cake at home meant a box of boring powder and a can of fake frosting.

Well, the wool has been pulled from my eyes, my friends. I just made one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever had, all in one bowl, in a matter of minutes. And it was fudgy. And rich. And had the most amazing fluffy mocha cream that by far beats anything you'll find on a shelf. So Betty can take her highly overrated, preservative-packed short cut crock and shove it. And I mean that in the nicest way possible.

In case you couldn't tell, I'm in LOVE with this cake. But who wouldn't fall head over heels for an indulgent, moist, espresso chocolate cake that's packed with chocolate chips, topped with cool mocha cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce? I knew my husband would for sure. When I asked him what kind dessert he'd like for his birthday, he blurted an ecstatic "chocolate!" before I even finished the question.

Actually, it was so simple to make, he probably could have made it for himself. (Uh, probably.) It really did only take one bowl. I simply mixed a little flour, cocoa, coffee, low-fat mayo and the usual baking suspects together, and in no time I had a rich batter ready to be baked.

  

  

  

  

Thirty minutes later our entire apartment smelled like coffee and chocolate. Definitely better than any candle or plug-in I had sitting around.

  

Once the cake was completely cooled, I mixed up the marvelous mocha topping, which is really just instant coffee combined with an entire jar of marshmallow fluff and an entire container of whipped cream. Translation: you'll want to eat the entire bowl with a spoon.

  

  

  

It really is that good. So light and fluffy with just a touch of mocha flavor. Kinda like the frothy whipped cream that sits atop your Starbucks mocha late, soaking in all that great coffee flavor. I mean, I eat that with a spoon all the time. Or a straw, or a finger. Depends on who's looking.

  

  

I let it chill for a couple hours while we ate our homemade sushi, then sliced it up and drizzled on the chocolate. You're supposed to add the chocolate sauce before you cut the cake, but I wanted to keep each piece looking pretty, so I did it after.

And I didn't bother measuring out the chocolate sauce, either. I mean, it was Luke's birthday, and I wasn't going to make him (or me) count calories in his bday cake. (But on a side note, you don't even need the sauce. We left it off of our leftover cake and never missed it.)

  

As I mentioned before, the cake is downright  delicious. It combines the rich fudginess of the hot chocolate fudge cakes with the cool, whipped lightness of the better than sex cake, then adds mocha and chocolate chips to make it a celebration-worthy confection.

Luke said it was a little sad to wash the empty pan after the last piece because he'd grown an attachment to it. I don’t think that’s ever happened with a boxed cake mix.

Unfortunately, even though it's a light recipe, I think two huge pieces a day made the cake grow a bit of an attachment to us, too. Was it worth it?

You bet your (happily chubby) butt it was.

One-Bowl Chocolate Mocha Cream Cake
Cooking Light, January 2006
Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients:

Cake:
2  cups  all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
1  cup  granulated sugar
1  cup  packed dark brown sugar
3/4  cup  unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2  teaspoons  baking soda
1 1/2  teaspoons  baking powder
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1  cup  reduced-fat mayonnaise
3  tablespoons  canola oil
1  cup  hot strong brewed coffee
2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
1/3  cup  semisweet chocolate morsels
Cooking spray
  
Mocha Cream:
1/4  cup  boiling water
1  tablespoon  instant coffee granules
1  (7-ounce) jar marshmallow cream
1  (8-ounce) container frozen light whipped topping, thawed
1/3  cup  light chocolate syrup (such as Hershey's Lite Syrup)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl. Add mayonnaise and oil; beat with a mixer at low speed until well blended. Slowly add brewed coffee and vanilla; beat with a mixer at low speed 1 minute or until well blended. Stir in chocolate; pour batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

To prepare mocha cream, combine water and coffee granules in a large bowl; stir until granules dissolve. Add marshmallow cream; beat with a mixer at low speed until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread mocha cream over top of cake; drizzle with chocolate syrup. Chill until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 315 (23% from fat), Fat: 8.1g (sat 3.2g,mono 2.6g,poly 1.9g), Protein: 2.6g, Carbohydrate: 60g, Fiber: 1.8g, Cholesterol: 0.0mg, Iron:1.8mg, Sodium: 390mg, Calcium: 46mg.

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