Marvelous Mud Cake

The first cookbook given to me by my mother-in-law (there have been countless more since then, and I am thankful) was Susan G. Purdy’s A Piece of Cake. Some of the pages are loose, there’s chocolate splatter on the cover, and it automatically opens to page 101: Marvelous Mud Cake. The first time I made this cake was for said MIL’s birthday 20 years ago. My nephew liked it so much, he decided the next day was a good time to be born, so what better cake to make to celebrate his 20th birthday?!

This is pure chocolate perfection in a cake. The hint of coffee, splash of liqueur, and creaminess of yoghurt makes it flavourful and moist. Try it!

Pan ready and dusted.

Creaming the egg and sugar. Beautiful colours.

Batter ready for the oven.

and this is what the cake looks like when the pan comes off. Smells amazing too.

 

Marvelous Mud Cake

• 5 oz/140 g unsweetened chocolate (I used Lindt, the Swiss Classic Dark; it works for baking, eating, drinking, and is therefore always handy to have around)
• 2 cups/240 g all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup powdered instant coffee or instant espresso
• 2 Tablespoons boiling water
• 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons cold water
• 1/2 cup bourbon, rum, Amaretto, or Cognac (Amaretto is delicious, this time we used rum)
• 1 cup/227 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups/400 sugar
• 3 large eggs + 1 large extra yolk
• 4 Tablespoons sour cream or buttermilk (I was out of sour cream, but had Greek yoghurt; will use that next time too)

Butter and dust (cocoa works better than flour) your pan; bundt/springform/tube, set aside.

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler, remove from heat before it’s completely melted and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

Mix the dry ingredients together, set aside.

Dissolve the instant coffee in the boiling water. Add the cold water and liquor. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar with a stand- or handheld mixer until frothy and creamy. 

Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add the extra yolk and the sour cream/yoghurt.

With the mixer on low (or by hand), alternately stir in the dry ingredients and the coffee/liquor mixture until smooth. 

The batter may look slightly curdled, don’t worry! It’s also quite thin.

Pour into prepared pan and bake in the centre of preheated oven for about an hour, until a cake tester (I keep a knitting needle especially for this purpose) comes out clean. The cake should be springy to the touch and the top slightly crackled-looking. 

Cool on wire rack for about 15 minutes, then top with a rack or plate and invert and lift off pan. Let cool.

Serve as is with fresh berries and whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream, or cover with a chocolate water glaze if you’re feeling extra decadent.

 

Comments

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