mocha. i'd name a new puppy or a new kitty...a new baby? aargh! mocha.
new neighbors have moved in to where our beloved "betty" used to live and i knew i wanted to welcome them in the way that we were NOT.
see when we moved in to this old blue house, the immediate adjacent neighbors welcomed us warmly and politely. but the ones in front...on our first day, accused us of banging into their tenant's car and adamantly & hostilely made sure we knew they were here first and they owned the street....well. i would have none of that and have been pointed in pointing it out that they can't bully us. since "arthur" died and his wife 'eva" moved away, and betty too, i thought, i must do the right thing and welcome this new young family with cake and good luck wishes.
if you grew up in Manila like i did, you would know about Magnolia ice cream. my lolo and lola adored macapuno ("mutant" coconut sport ice cream) but i always longed for the mocha flavor. if my ma ever deigned to ask me what my favorite was i would always ask for mocha cake for my birthday. since the day i learned how to bake i have been looking for that elusive chocolate-coffee flavor i so loved...and...*sniff* i finally have it.
mocha bundt cake from debi fields' great american desserts
preheat oven to 350F. butter generously a bundt pan, and sprinkle 2 tbsps. of granulated sugar to coat all surfaces.
cream 3 sticks of unsalted butter (1 & 1/2 cups) and 2 cups of sugar until light and fluffy. add 5 large eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg.
add 3 ounces of melted bittersweet Trader Joe's Belgian and blend well.
whisk together 3 cups flour, 1 tsp. of baking powder, 1/2 tsp. of baking soda, and 1/2 tsp. of salt.
mix well 3/4 cups of hot strong (or espresso)freshly brewed coffee, 1 tbsp. of instant espresso powder, 1/4 cup of Kahlua (coffee liqueur) and 1 tbsp. of pure vanilla extract.
add flour in thirds to egg and butter/sugar mixture, alternately with thirds of coffee mixture. mix only until homogeneous.
bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean but top is still soft.
cool cake 15 minutes on wire rack. invert into serving plate, cool completely, then
drizzle with powdered sugar.
a nice cake to welcome the young family next door, with a few slices; the rest to reward my little kittens with, for good behavior...