Mocha Crumb Cake

The desserts served at my table have changed a great deal since I wrote my first entry for One Perfect Bite. These days, I have two categories of treats that I serve to my family and our friends. Those designated BB (Before Blogging) are generally less sweet and very easy to do. Back then, theme and variation within a category such as cake, assured our palates would not be bored and made exploration unnecessary. Besides that, desserts BB were a sometime thing, meant only for a weekend treat, or to end a meal when we had guests at the table. Once I began blogging, it became apparent that my laissez-faire toward dessert just wasn't going to cut it in the AB (After Blogging) world. So, I made it a point to feature desserts more often. That pleased our neighbors and the folks who were reading One Perfect Bite. Neither Bob nor I have a wildly active sweet tooth, and more often than not, once a dessert is tested it is sent down the hill to neighbors who love sweet things. Usually. Tonight, however, was an exception. Dinner was a homely, fireplace affair designed to ward off the day's damp and chill. It included a warm crumb cake that is definitely a BB affair and it is not going anywhere. This cake is plain and lacks sophistication but it is really good, and when the planets are aligned and the cake is served warm with really great ice cream, you'll swear you've died and gone to heaven. It would be just plain wrong of me to keep this one to myself, so, from the annuls of my BB collection, here's a recipe for mocha crumb cake that will make your socks go up and down - on your way to heaven of course.

Mocha Crumb Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Starbucks

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 tablespoon instant coffee granules

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

Cooking spray

1-1/2 teaspoons water

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8-inch round pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

2) Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt) in a mixing bowl, and cut in margarine with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Reserve 1/2 cup flour mixture for topping, and set aside.

3) Combine remaining flour mixture, baking powder, and baking soda; add milk, vanilla, and egg. Beat at medium speed of a mixer until blended. Spoon batter into an 8-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray. Combine reserved 1/2 cup flour mixture and water; stir with a fork. Sprinkle crumb mixture over batter. Bake at 350o for 30 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm. Yield: 8 servings.