Chocolate Espresso Cake

For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 355℉ (180℃).

Butter the pan (I use a Fat Daddio’s 9 Inch x 5 Inch x 2 3/4 Inch loaf pan) and sprinkle sugar into the pan. Tilt it around to get sugar all over the inside of the pan. Then pour out the excess sugar. Set pan aside.

Sift flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt together into a medium sized bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars until very light and fluffy. Then mix in the vanilla paste. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix just until fully incorporated. Alternately add and fold in the dry ingredients and milk. Finally fold in the espresso.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake it in the oven for about 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove it from the oven.

Let the cake cool in the pan. When cooled, mix the frosting ingredients in a small bowl and frost the cake. Decorate the cake with coffee beans and serve it with a good cup of coffee.

Enjoy!

Adapted from Claus Meyer.