Espresso Chocolate Chip Cake

I don’t know about you, but I love a sweet treat with rich nutty and earthy flavors. The recipe was inspired by some of my favourite brown butter chocolate chip cookies. This is the perfect cake for coffee lovers. It’s got chocolate, but not too much. And it has just enough complexity to keep you coming back for another bite - without overwhelming your senses.

Ingredients

Base Ingredients

• 1 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 2 tablespoons of canola oil

• 1/2 cup salted butter or salted margarine, melted

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup milk (any milk you choose works!)

Flavor Ingredients

• 1/4 cup strong brewed espresso, (or strong coffee) cooled

• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee

• 1 teaspoon Nutmeg, ground

• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground

• Dark Chocolate Chips

For browned butter buttercream:

• 225 grams of browned butter, solidified

• 225 grams of butter

• 2 cups of powdered icing sugar

• Mixed essence or vanilla extract (optional)

Browning Your Butter

If you are making this recipe with real butter, then browning your butter is as simple as keeping a watchful eye over your butter while it’s in the skillet to ensure it doesn’t burn. If you are making a vegan/plant based version of this recipe with margarine butter sticks instead, once your butter can melted completely in the skillet you will need to add a plant based milk of your choice to the melted butter to ensure that the plant based milk proteins are toasting to add that nutty taste. You will know your butter is ready when it has changed in colour from a bright yellow to a warm caramel brown - just make sure to remove it from the heat to avoid burning.

Then transfer your browned butter to a bowl and place in the fridge to harden. This process will take aproximately 3 hours.

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or line it with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients

3. Add the canola oil and melted butter to the dry ingredients and mix

4. Alternate adding in brewed coffee and milk, stirring and integrating the wet ingredients as you go

5. Add in dark chocolate chips and integrate into batter fully with a silicone spatula

6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and spread it evenly.

7. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

8. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

9. While the cake is cooling, prepare the buttercream. Uses an electric mixer to whip your browned butter into a soft texture. Then add your regular butter and do the same. Once both butters are firmly mixed in together, add icing sugar until desired consistency is reached. Adjust the consistency by adding more powdered sugar or a teaspoon of milk as needed.

10. Once the cake has cooled, apply the browned buttercream to the top. Add coffee beans, fruits, or melted chocolate for additional decor or taste.

Enjoy!