Chocolate cake a la Cocobel

The original recipe for this cake was published in Elle magazine.  It is made at Cafe Annie in Houston, Texas. I may apply small variations each time I make it, which are shared below. If you use the best cocoa powder and chocolate, from Trinidad's Cocobel, you'll have a cake with the finest chocolate flavour in the world. The goat's milk in this recipe is fresh from Moruga in the south of Trinidad.


Cocobel single estate cocoa powder
made in Trinidad

Sugar, 2 cups (I use brown sugar)
Flour, one and three-quarter cups
Cocoa powder, 1 cup
Cinnamon, 2 teaspoons (optional)
Baking powder, one and one half teaspoons
Salt, one teaspoon

Eggs, 2 lightly beaten
Milk, one cup (goat's milk if possible)
Sweet butter, half cup melted
Vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons
Boiling water, one cup (I use hot freshly brewed coffee instead)

Frosting:
Semi-sweet chocolate (65%), one pound
Sour cream, 2 cups (room temperature)
Vanilla extract, one teaspoon
Salt, half teaspoon

Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans and set aside. Preheat oven to 350F. Boil water and have ready.

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Stir in eggs, milk and melted butter until well mixed. Add boiling water (or fresh coffee) and vanilla and stir well. Divide batter into the pans. Bake until a knife inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool and remove from pans. Frost when cool.

All ingredients stirred in a large bowl

Make sure cake batter is well mixed

Turn out the cakes to cool

For the frosting, melt chocolate gently in the microwave, by heating for ten seconds at a time until chocolate is just melting. Stir in some of the sour cream. Then add remaining cream, vanilla and salt until well blended. (Note on the frosting: one pound of semisweet chocolate gives you a very rich frosted cake; I use 12 ounces of chocolate and one and a half cups of sour cream.)


Mix 65% chocolate with sour cream for frosting

Spread one-third of frosting over one cake. Place the second cake on top. Spread top and sides of cake with the remaining frosting. Refrigerate before serving and serve thin slices.


Even an amateur cake decorator can frost this cake!

Refrigerate before slicing! 


Comments