Mexican Chocolate Cake #TheCakeSliceBakers

April 20, 2021

Mexican Chocolate Cake #TheCakeSliceBakers

I'll keep it short and sweet (and chocolatey and a teensy bit spicy) this month, friends.

I have a 6 month old that doesn't sleep at night, and I am feeling it.

But chocolate has caffeine in it, right?

Gimme the all the caffeine.

My choice for this month's Cake Slice bake is this diminutive Mexican Chocolate Cake.

What makes it Mexican? The cinnamon and dash of cayenne in the batter and frosting. If you've ever had Abuelita's brand hot chocolate, you know the beauty of a lightly spiced chocolate treat.

The cake itself is rich and moist, without being dense. The whipped chocolate ganache is where it's at, though.

The recipe called for two tablespoons of Kahlua in the frosting...but I didn't have Kahlua. I improvised by microwaving a tablespoon of sugar, a tablespoon and a half of water until the sugar had dissolved, adding about a half teaspoon of instant coffee, and about 1/8 teaspoon rum extract. Not exactly Kahlua, but close enough for me.

I only added the tiniest dash of cayenne to the cake batter and frosting because I didn't want my kids to think I am a mean mom. We live in New Mexico, and chile is a big deal. Being able to "handle the heat," so to speak, is a matter of great pride. But I wanted my kids to be able to enjoy it too.

Although, a couple of nights ago, my two year old son insisted on trying some salsa on a chip. It was not wimpy salsa--it had a genuine New Mexico kick (just how I like it!). He complained for 15 minutes or so until I gave in and let him dip the corner of his tortilla chip. He (predictably) started crying, but went in for a second bite.

I've never been prouder. *sniff*

I decorated my cake to look *sort of* like those beautiful embroidered dresses that are worn in Mexico and Central America. I did it quickly, so it's not stellar piping, but again...good enough is the name of the game these days.

If you're looking for a little twist on a classic, give this Mexican Chocolate Cake a try! You can never go wrong with chocolate!

Mexican Chocolate Cake

from Little Everyday Cakes by Candace Floyd

Cake:

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

7 T cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cayenne

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup whole milk (room temp)

1 tsp vanilla

6 T soft butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup regular sugar

2 room temp eggs

Ganache

8 oz semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 T Kahlua (or see the post for my mocktail hack)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

dash cayenne

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease 2 six inch round pans and line with parchment.

2. Whisk the flour, cocoa, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and cayenne together in a bowl.

3. Beat the sugars and butter together with a mixer until fluffy (about 5 minutes. Mine didn't look like it was going to get fluffy, but it did about the 4 minute mark). Add the eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each.

4. Mix the water, vanilla and milk together in a small bowl.

5. Reduce the speed to slow and alternate adding the flour mix and milk mix to the butter mix. Beat until *just* incorporated, and give the mix a final stir by hand.

6. Divide batter between prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes, or until done. Let cool for 10 minutes, then invert on to a wire rack to cool completely.

Whipped Ganache

1. Heat the cream in the microwave until steaming, but not boiling.

2. Place the chocolate chips, cinnamon, Kahlua or substitute, and cayenne in a medium bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chips to submerge completely, and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Stir until glossy and uniform, and allow to cool completely (you can put it in the fridge to speed up the process).

3 When cool, place in a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until fluffy. Do not overbeat or it can become gritty,

4. Spoon 1/3 of the ganache over the first layer of cake, top with the second layer, and frost the top and sides.

Enjoy :)

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is Little Everyday Cakes by Candace Floyd. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the thumbnail pictures below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.