If I ask three people what their favorite chocolate cake is, I’ll get three completely different answers. One might say chocolate mousse cake, while another might share theirs is a three-layer devil’s food cake, and a third might tell me that theirs is a flourless chocolate cake. For me I have a few standouts.
This mocha glazed chocolate Bundt cake is the one I go to when I am in a hurry and want a chocolatey result with minimum fuss and cleanup. And it will satisfy the chocoholic at your table as well as the coffee lover.
The cake is moist from adding oil to the batter and extra chocolatey with the chocolate chips added to the batter just before baking. Make sure to use a high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder like Droste, Valrhona, or Scharffen Berger. The glaze is easy to put together and is shiny from the corn syrup and oil.
Did you know that the word “mocha” comes from a coffee bean that was grown in Yemen centuries ago and had a chocolatey flavor to it? The story goes that the drink was originally named after the mocha bean, which is a type of coffee bean shipped from the port of Al Mokha in Yemen. In our modern thinking, mocha refers not to coffee beans but the addition of chocolate to a coffee drink. In this cake, the mocha flavoring is present in the glaze adding a faint coffee flavor. Vanilla or chocolate chip ice cream is a great accompaniment.
Mocha Glazed Chocolate Bundt Cake
Serves 8 to 10; Makes one 10-inch Bundt cakeNote: Use a lightweight bundt pan so the cake doesn’t overcook. If you only have a heavy weight bundt pan, you may need to decrease the baking time by a few minutes.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons strong coffee
- 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil or alternative
2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
3. Place the cocoa in a large bowl and slowly add the hot water while stirring until smooth. Stir in the cold water, oil, and vanilla until blended. Whisk in the dry ingredients until incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the batter, pressing them down with a spatula into the batter.
4. Bake the cake for about 55 minutes, or until cake begins to come away from the sides of the pan, the top is springy to the touch, and a skewer comes out almost clean when inserted in the center of the cake. Cool on a rack for 30 minutes. Invert onto a cake rack to cool completely before glazing.
5. While the cake is cooling, make the glaze: On the top of a double boiler over simmering water on medium heat, combine the coffee, chocolate and butter; stir until melted. Add the syrup and oil. and mix to combine.
6. Place the cake on the rack on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle the glaze over evenly. Transfer the cake to a serving platter.
