Chocolate Spice Cake
Enjoy your morning with a warm, spiced coffee cake with a chocolate ganache swirl & sweet crumble topping. Developed by our Executive Pastry Chef Donald Wressell and in collaboration with our friends at Equator Coffee.
Ingredients
COFFEE CRUMBLE
6 ½ tbsp [85g] unsalted butter, cubed & cold
1/4 tsp [1g] kosher salt
1/3 c + 1 tbsp [85g] turbinado sugar
3/4 cup + 3 tbsp [95g] almond flour
1/2 cup + ½ tbsp [85g] all-purpose flour
2 tbsp [12g] finely ground coffee
SPICE CAKE
3/4 cup + 1 tbsp [295g] honey
7 tbsp [100g] unsalted butter
1/2 cup [117g] whole milk
50g [1] large eggs
2 zested oranges
1 2/3 cups [240g] all-purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp [8.2g] baking soda
2 ¾ tsp [5.5g] korintje cinnamon
1/2 tsp [0.7g] ground cloves
1/4 tsp [0.7g] ground cardamom
3/4 tsp [1.6g] ground ginger
1 ¼ cup [130g] 38% Guittard Organic Milk Wafers
COFFEE GANACHE
3/4 cup [185g] heavy cream
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp [35g] crushed coffee beans
Corn Syrup 1 tbsp [20g] corn syrup
1 zested orange
1 ¼ cup [215g] Guittard 38% Organic Milk Wafers
2 tbsp [28 g] unsalted butter
COFFEE ICING
2 cups [235g] powdered sugar
4 tbsp [60g] fresh brewed coffee
Directions
COFFEE CRUMBLE
Preheat oven to 350°F
Spray and line 9x4" loaf pan with parchment paper.
Combine all ingredients into a food processor. Mix until well combined and the mixture begins to clump together. It should hold its shape very well when pressed together.
Scoop 1 1/4 cups of crumble (not packed) into the bottom of the loaf pan; distribute evenly and compact lightly.
Pour remaining crumble onto a parchment lined sheet pan and fully bake both.
Loaf pan bake time is 20-25 minutes, edges will have some golden color
Extra crumble bake time is 18-20 minutes, will also be golden brown.
While the crumble is baking, start making the spice cake batter.
SPICE CAKE BATTER
Preheat oven to 325°
Spray and line a 9” x 4" loaf pan with parchment paper. The same pan already prepped from the crumble recipe.
Combine all dry ingredients, sift, and set aside.
Combine the honey, butter, and milk into a saucepan and warm over medium heat until combined and slightly warm.
Remove from heat, zest oranges directly into saucepan. Add the egg and whisk to combine.
Place the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and make a well in the center.
Add the liquids in 3 equal additions, using a whisk to gradually stir in each addition focusing on the center and slowly moving outward.
Mixture should remain semi fluid, like a batter, throughout this mixing step.
Fold the chopped chocolate wafers into the batter.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan with the pre baked crumble base.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, top should spring back when lightly pressed.
COFFEE GANACHE
Combine the cream and crushed coffee beans into a saucepan, bring just to a simmer, remove from heat, cover and steep for 5 minutes.
Strain the cream, re- measure the cream back to 3/4 cup of cream.
Combine cream, corn syrup in a saucepan. Zest orange directly into cream, bring mixture to a simmer,
Strain the cream over the chocolate to remove the orange zest.
Allow to rest for 1 minute.
Whisk the ganache until smooth, working from the center outward.
Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface, and set aside until fully set. Can be refrigerated for 20-30 minutes to speed it up.
METHOD FOR CAKE ASSEMBLY
Spray and line loaf pan with parchment paper
Press crumble into the pan
Bake crumble
Fill with batter and bake
Cool completely, poke holes in cake and pipe ganache inside (optional)
Pipe ganache on top and spread evenly with spatula
Top with baked crumble and toasted pecans
Chill cake until ganache is set well. This will ensure the ganache stays stable when the icing is poured over.
Mixing icing just before using, place cake on a cooling rack and pour glaze on top, trying to cover as much of the crumble and pecans as possible.
Allow to sit at room temp until the glaze sets (crystalizes) .
COFFEE ICING
Combine sugar and coffee mix well until smooth, can be adjusted if needed.
Use immediately to glaze the prepared loaf of spice cake.
