Moist Mocha Chocolate Cake with Mocha Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
16 servings (1 serving equals 1 square)

If you are looking for a moist, scrumptious cake that’s not too sweet, this is the ticket.  The cake itself is good enough to eat on its own or with a little whipping cream or a dip of ice cream or with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar. The frosting is quite nice, but if you are looking for a really sweet frosting, this is not it. When I first made this cake, we had a couple workmen at the house.  One said that he needed another piece to make sure he liked it J The other loved the cake, but thought I should’ve put a thicker layer of the frosting.  In a nutshell, this cake is a winner and I will definitely make it again.   

Cake

Cooking spray
¾ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup Dutch processed cocoa
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1½ cups low-fat yogurt (I used plain Greek yogurt.)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon espresso powder, dissolved in 1 tablespoon of hot water
2 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (I used bittersweet.)
Frosting

1 (8-ounce) bar Neufchatel cheese (reduced fat cream cheese) or cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
1 teaspoon espresso powder dissolved in 1 teaspoon hot water
1 teaspoon coffee liqueur or vanilla
1 small square dark chocolate

Arrange rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 13-inch cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.
Whisk together flours, cocoa, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl, then sift ingredients through a fine mesh strainer.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter and oil. Add eggs and egg whites and whisk to incorporate. Fold in yogurt, vanilla, sugar and dissolved espresso powder. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 90 seconds or over a double boiler. Fold chocolate into batter.
Gradually add sifted dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated; do not overbeat. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until cake has risen nicely and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely.  While cake is cooling, make the frosting.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until soft and creamy. Spread frosting evenly over cake and cut into squares. Finely grate one small square of chocolate. Sprinkle the chocolate shavings over the cake.

Nutritional Information per Serving:  195 calories; 11 grams fat (4 grams saturated fat); 42 mg. cholesterol; 237 mg. sodium; 24 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 1.5 grams fiber

Ma Ma’s Chocolate Chess Pie

Recipe from Florence Cooksey (1888-1987) Alice’s Great Grandmother 
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
(This pie was a winning entry at the 2017 Pie Celebration held at Lost River Market & Deli.)

Ma Ma (pronounced Maw Maw) was my maternal grandfather’s mother. We used to visit her farm in Kentucky. Of course, as with all southern families, when company came, you were treated to a wonderful big meal with very sweet iced tea with which to wash it all down. We often had this pie for dessert. It is just the simplest pie to make with ingredients that are always in the pantry. Don’t let the simplicity of this pie fool you though. It tastes divine. It is richly chocolate with a very thin sugary crust on the top that develops as the pie bakes. In winter, serve this pie with a little whipped cream or a raspberry sauce. In spring, serve this pie with strawberries!

3 Tablespoons cocoa
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup butter, melted
1 small can evaporated milk
Unbaked pie shell (Recipe for Perfect Pie Dough is on this blog.)

Preheat oven to 325º F. Mix all ingredients, except the pie dough, of course, well in a medium bowl. Pour (batter will be a bit thin) into an 8 or 9 inch unbaked pie shell. (Do not use a frozen pie shell.) Bake for 45 minutes. (The chocolate filling will puff a bit as it bakes and fall a bit and set as it cools.) Allow to cool to room temperature before serving. Be sure to serve this with slightly sweetened whipped cream and a cup of hot coffee.