Mocha Choco Vanilla Cake

I met Sonya when I took classes from Monika last June. She was apprenticing withe Monika at the time. During our lunch break, we got talking and she happened to mention Joy the Baker. Oh, I am so happy she did.. I liked Joy's blog and was going through her posts and this post caught my eye. It was a recipe for a coffee cake. I mean cake for coffee time. I don't know what particularly interested me. Maybe the fact that it had vanilla, coffee and chocolate flavours in just one cake.

                           

I bookmarked it and kept on hoping I would get to make it soon. It was the first time I was going off the reserve and picking up a recipe from an unknown blog. Will it be a hit or a miss?  Questions, questions and some more questions later I made up my mind and took to the job. And guess what, it was super duper deli-cious! I have made the eggless version in Eggless Chocolate and Vanilla Cake with Black Currants and taste-wise it is pretty close to the recipe I am going to share with you now.

                            

If you think I am exaggerating about the super duper deliciousness, hear this. The day I made this cake for the first time, I was visiting my good friend Kanchan, who is my only I-don't-like-sweets AND I-don't-eat-sweets friend. I gingerly cut three slices for her and her family and took it to her. Guess what, she had 2 slices and wanted more! Kanchan asking for more cake was so unthinkable; she made me so happy that I promised her more and went back with the slices you see below. (Yes, she finished half of it ;-) ) 

Now I have made these so many times, for self & family and on order for friends that this is my most favourite recipe so far.

Mocha Choco Vanilla Cake Recipe

Adapted from Joy the Baker

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup curd (Original recipe asked for sour cream. I just used home made curd)

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder dissolved in 1½  Tablespoons hot water

2 Tablespoons instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 Tablespoon hot water 

• Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 180 degrees C.  Generously butter and flour an 8- inch pan.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
• Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just incorporated.
• Transfer about one third of the batter to a small bowl. Add espresso mixture and stir until combined. Transfer 1/3 of the remaining vanilla batter to another small bowl and add the cocoa mixture and stir until combined. Spoon all three batters into the pan, alternating so each flavor is distributed through the pan.
• Bake until cake is golden or until a wooden spoon inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 30 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.