Pages

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Mexican Chocolate Cake

Pin It

 

mexicake2

 

Taking a look at the ingredient's list, one would quickly find out that this is not your usual chocolate cake. A Mexican chocolate cake incorporates the warmth of spices like cinnamon and chili and the punch of balsamic vinegar. The result is a cake with a spicy kick that is not too sweet, yet super flavorful. I love it, and I specially enjoy serving it to friends because no one ever expects it to be spicy. It's a pleasant surprise, but I am not sure kids would like it, or someone with a more pick palate (like Andrew). You can cut back on the amount of chili or cayenne used in the cake to fit your own taste. I've made this cake numerous times because it's so easy, fast and makes very little mess of bowls and dishes. In fact, this batter is made in one bowl, than poured into the cake pan, and that's it. I normally don't make the chocolate glaze, I prefer simple cakes, but this time I went all the way, so you can have an idea of how pretty this simple cake can be.

Note:

This is an egg-less cake, great news for all the batter eaters out there (you know who you are...)

 

mexicake3 whisk

 

Mexican Chocolate Cake Recipe:

makes one 8 inch round cake

 

You will need:

1 1/2 cup of flour

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or chili powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of cold water

1/4 cup of canola oil

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 inch cake pan, set aside.

In a large bowl,whisk all dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix well until batter is fully combined. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cake cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan and finish cooling it in a wire  rack.

 

Chocolate Glaze Recipe (optional):

Confectioner's sugar

Unsweetened cocoa

Cinnamon (optional)

Water

For the glaze, combine confectioner's sugar and cocoa using a 2 for 1 ratio (2 parts sugar, 1 part cocoa). Use small amounts of water by the spoon full to moisten it and bring to the consistency you want. For this cake, I used less than 1 cup of sugar and half that amount of cocoa. I also added a pinch of cinnamon to it.

If you have extra glaze, keep it refrigerated and use it over fruits or mix it with plain yogurt.

Enjoy it!

mexicake

27 comments:

Claudia Barreiros said...

Rita Cabrita,
Voce postou essa receita pra mim? Muito obrigada pelo meu bolo de aniversario! Vou fazer hoje mesmo!!!!
Beijao

Deseree said...

Rita, this sounds very interesting and your pictures are stunning. I love spicy but have never heard of it for a dessert, may have to give this one a try. I am sure Ryan would like it. :)

Karen said...

This sounds like something I'd love. Chocolate and spice... yum!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Mmm, sounds interesting and looks great!
~ingrid

Michelle {lovely little things} said...

The chocolate mixed with spice sounds VERY appealing

Not Another Omnivore said...

This sounds amazing!!!

NAOmni

Marta said...

what a lovely recipe, thanks for sharing it! your photos look great too :)

Anonymous said...

Fantastic!

Also, gorgeous whisk shot :)

Rita said...

Claudia - meu avo me chamava de Rita cabrita...

Des- try it, it is a nice combination os sweet and spicy

Karen - I think you would love too

Ingrid - thanks :)

{lovely little things} - thanks, it is super tasty

NAOmni - thanks! I think it's vegan...no?

Marta - you are welcome! I hope you make it!

twospoons - :) Thank You!!

jen jafarzadeh said...

oh. my. this looks so delicious! And I've had strawberries on the brain — just posted a strawberry roundup on Friday.

test it comm said...

That cake looks great! I like the use of the Mexican chocolate ingredients and the balsamic vinegar sounds nice.

Anonymous said...

This looks aboslutely amazing! I'm just wondering if you used a mature balsamic vinegar or not?

Anonymous said...

any idea how many calories per piece?

Rita said...

Anonymous - sorry, unfortunately I don't know much about calorie counting. I believe everything in moderation is a good way to stay on track though.

NikiTheo said...

Chocolate and spice are something I love together!!!

Yara said...

I'm planning on making this cake tomorrow, but would like to know whether the 350 degrees are Fahrenheit or Celsius... I don't want to burn this spicy chololate heaven!

Rita said...

Hi Yara
The oven temperature is 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or, 180 degrees Celsius.
Happy baking!

Anonymous said...

Me and my bro made this for my mom and she loved it! Thank you so much for the recipe :)

Kathe W. said...

just found your yummy cake while searching for a Mexican Chocolate Cake! This is perfect-did a trial run yesterday for my nieces Graduation party tomorrow-it will be a hit! Thanks for posting this!

JozHaz said...

I made this cake yesterday and it is gorgeous, just love it. Very moist and love the tingle it leaves on the tongue. I made a frosting for it that also has cayenne pepper in it. Divine!! Thank you.

Anonymous said...

This is my third time making this cake and I've been using this recipe for all of them. It tastes great!

Unknown said...

made this for Christmas this year--delightful! Thanks! I blogged about it here: http://dreambirddesigns.blogspot.com/2011/01/christmas-cake.html

Tina S. said...

Delicious recipe! I made a simple whipped cream icing, barely sweetened with sugar and vanilla, and it was fabulous with this cake. I did a practice run last week, and this week I'm making it for a bachelorette party and shaping it like a jalapeno wearing a sombrero for the bride who is honeymooning in Mexico. This was just what I was looking for. Thanks!

Mikayla Berning said...

how many calories does mexican chocolate cake have?

Anonymous said...

This was not as flavourful as I expected. That said, with the addition of Kahlua, it is quite good. Next time I make it I will try adding more cocoa and more cinnamon... perhaps an egg and cut back on water...

Madeline said...

What is the consistency of the cake? I have a project where I want to stack up the layers pretty high and was wondering if this would support itself.

Rita said...

@Madeline - it's just like a regular cake, you can definetely stack it up in multiple layers. Good luck with your project!

Post a Comment

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!