Chocolate and coffee go together like ice cream and cake, am I right? Speaking of CAKE, you must check out this Mocha Cake with Hazelnut Buttercream Frosting that Thing 1 made. It was to die for! Truly! I am drooling all over my keyboard right now just thinking about it!
What made this cake so special, aside from the fact that it was just an AMAZING combination of flavors, was that we were using a different kind of sugar. This sugar is a Morena sugar, which means that it does not undergo the conventional refining processes used for regular white sugar that effectively remove the complexity and flavor from raw sugar cane.
The product is known as Zulka Pure Cane Sugar, and it is also a non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) product, which means that it has been grown and produced according to a set of established best practices for GMO avoidance. I first tried it in my coffee, using the same amount I would usually use with regular white sugar. It tasted great! It had the same sweetness as regular sugar, but there was definitely something a bit different to it, kind of honey-like overtones. It is hard to describe, but if you try it, you will understand what I mean!
I decided that we should try the Zulka sugar in a cake, to see how that worked out. So, I asked my resident baker, Thing 1, to whip something up! He came up with this mocha cake. Below is his post and his recipe!
Hi, Thing 1 here! Though I don’t drink coffee very often, just the smell of it is enough to give me a little boost of energy. If you combine the aroma of coffee with a craving for chocolate cake, you’ll find yourself wanting both! And what better to go with chocolate coffee than the sweet nutty flavor of Nutella! The cake tasted delicious, and you can brew whatever type of coffee you want to create different levels of flavors and intensity.
The cake was easy to make, although the batter seemed a little on the thin side before it was baked. The coffee made it a bit soupy, but while baking for 40 minutes, the cake puffed right up! The combination of the creamy, sweet frosting and the slight bitterness of the coffee in the cake was like heaven to the taste buds. If you want an even bolder coffee taste, you can sprinkle instant coffee on top of the cake for an added boost! No doubt you’ll have plenty of energy after you eat a slice of this! 🙂
For disclosure purposes, a sample of Zulka Pure Cane Sugar was provided to Thing 1 and me free of charge. We were not compensated to write about the product, and all opinions are our own.
Mocha Cake with Hazelnut Buttercream Frosting
Print RecipeIngredients
Cake Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 cup room temperature butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup Morena Pure Cane Sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup coffee
Frosting Ingredients
- 3/4 cup room temperature butter
- 5 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar-free Hazelnut Coffee Mate
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 7 tablespoons Nutella
Instructions
Directions for the cake:
- Preheat oven to 325ºF. Combine flour, salt, cocoa powder and baking soda in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, beat butter until smooth. Gradually add both sugars, beating until combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and beat after each addition. Then, mix in the vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture and buttermilk into the wet ingredients, each in 2 or 3 parts. Mix well after each addition. Slowly add the coffee and mix until batter is smooth.
- Bake in two 9 inch rounded pans for 40 minutes, removing when a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean. Let cakes cool for 15-20 minutes before removing from pan.
Directions for the frosting:
- Beat butter until smooth, adding vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar and Hazelnut Coffee Mate and blending until smooth.
- Add Nutella and blend until well combined.
- Level one of the cakes and cover the top with frosting. Place the other half on top and frost the rest of the cake.
- Sprinkle instant coffee on top if desired for taste and decoration.
Nutrition
Sara Howe
Hi Kristin! I wanted to stop by and let you know I’m featuring this over at Feed Me Friday
Kristin King
Oh, that is so cool, thanks Sara! I will definitely stop by! 🙂
Shannah @ Just Us Four
Oh wow…this sounds amazing. I love mocha and hazelnut so I am sure this would be so good.
Thanks for sharing at the Pinworthy Projects Party!
Kristin King
Thanks, Shannah! 🙂
Ali
Woot! You have been featured this week at Recipe Sharing Monday! The new link party is up and I’d love to see you back. Have a great week. 🙂
Kristin King
Oh, awesome! Thanks so much Ali! I will head over there now! 🙂
Erin {Delightful E Made}
Stopping by from Super Sunday. Your cake looks AMAZING! Can’t wait to try it soon. Pinning!
Kristin King
Thanks Erin! I appreciate you coming by! 🙂
Joanne/WineLady Cooks
Your cake looks amazing, delicious and I must make this. I’m curious about the Zulka sugar. I try not to use granulated sugar and I substitute coconut sugar quite often. I would like to give Zulka a try. Thanks for sharing this recipe with Foodie Friends Friday this week.
Hope to see you again soon,
Joanne
Kristin King
I really do like the Zulka sugar. It definitely has a more complex flavor than processed sugar. Thanks for stopping by!
Bohemian Babushka (@BBabushka)
I’m thinking I should start following you- but my waistline is scared. ; ) Here from the Weekend Showoff Hop & hope to see you at my dance. BB2U
Kristin King
Haha! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! Love your blog name, I will stop by and check it out!
Beth Teliho
Wow, this looks amazing! Exceptionally yummy. I don’t print many recipes, but this one is special and one I’ll have to try. Thanks so much! Your photos are beautiful as well. 🙂
Kristin King
Thanks! Thing 1 will be delighted to hear that! I will let him know. Thanks for stopping by!
Maria
This absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing, I am saving the recipe!
Maria
Kristin King
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂 Stop by again soon!
Michelle
Two of my favorite flavors are chocolate and coffee so combined would be so delectable! Thanks for linking up this week at My Favorite Posts Show Off Weekend Party. Hope to see you again soon!
Kristin King
Thanks, Michelle! I appreciate you coming by! 🙂
Natalee
That looks WONDERFUL! I would have to eat it in the closet because of the nut allergies around here, but I could definitely work it out. 🙂
Kristin King
Haha, that is a great visual, sitting in the closet in the dark eating cake! 😀 Thanks for stopping by!
Laura@baking in pyjamas
The hazelnut buttercream sounds delicious. Visiting from Tuesday Trivia Link Party.
Kristin King
Thanks for stopping by, Laura!
Natasha
Oh.My.Goodness!! That looks absolutely delicious. My mouth is watering right now!
Thanks so much for sharing on Turn It Up Tuesdays blog hop! We love having you! 🙂
Kristin King
Thanks, Natasha!
Kim Osburn
Looks too pretty to eat, but I’d have to try it with a hot cup of coffee. Thanks for sharing. <3 Kim
Kristin King
Thanks, Kim!
Tina @epicuricloud.com
Oh wow!! Bravo Thing 1!! I could really go for a slice of that right now!! Beautiful job!!
Kristin King
Thanks, Tina! I passed along your comment to Thing 1 and he was delighted! 🙂
Kelli @ The Corner Kitchen
Beautiful cake, Kristin! Coffee and chocolate are always an amazing combo!
Kristin King
Thanks! I agree, it is one of my favorite flavor combos. 🙂