Coffee Chocolate Frosted Cinnamon Cakes

So I just got the Baking from My Home to Yours cookbook from Dorie Greenspan. Most of us kitchen bloggers are familiar with Tuesdays with Dorie, which I also just signed up for since I almost always bake on Tuesdays anyway!! Might as well be part of a fun community.

Since I traveled all week for work...I spent some of today just relaxing in the sun checking out the new book, which is of course amazing. I already have made the Perfect Party Cake and Tiramisu...so I knew I'd find many items I couldn't wait to try.

However, one that jumped out at my right away, thanks to the tasty picture is the Cinnamon Squares with Chocolate Frosting. It's a quick pan cake, no fancy layer cake, and has chocolate, espresso powder, and cinnamon layered inside.

I loved the idea, but we all know I'm a cupcake lover and it's been a week since anything has come out of my kitchen. I didn't really want to bake today, but the more I thought about that recipe as I went on with my day, the more I wanted to make it. With adaptations of course.

So I made Cinnamon Cakes. With brown sugar mixed with white and whole wheat flour mixed with all purpose. Buttermilk instead of milk, and lots of cinnamon. Omitted the espresso and the layer to go for a hearty, dense cinnamony buttermilk cake. The process was quick and easy, no need for the Kitchen Aid which I liked.



They smelled DIVINE in the oven...permeating the house with cinnamony buttermilky scented goodness. Licking the spatula (of course!) before washing my stuff was like a little bit of homemade nirvana. I love cinnamon.

Came out so yummy...puffy slightly split open tops with a soft inside.



For the frosting, I adapted Dorie's slightly to add coffee extract since I omitted the layer in the cakes. Kind of like a take on 'coffee cake' but more like a sweeter yet slightly more earthy version. I used a 71% Bittersweet chocolate bar that I got for $1.99 at Trader Joe's. I love that place.



Overall, a win win for taste...the cake was moist and soft and not dense at all, they tasted divine with or without frosting, but I loved the ganache frosting once it hardened a bit, it was so thick and rich. I guess a whole chocolate bar can do that.



Coffee Chocolate Frosted Cinnamon Cakes
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours 'Cinnamon Squares' recipe

Cakes:
1/2c brown sugar
1/4c white bakers sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2c all purpose flour
1/2c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powdre
shake of salt
1/2c buttermilk (I used a little more like 2/3)
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 stick butter (melted and cooled)

Frosting Glaze:
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 1/2 tbsp butter, soft
coffee extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Prep a muffin pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla.

Add the wet to dry ingredients and whisk til just combined. Add the slightly cooled, but melted, butter and mix til just combined. Batter should be thick yet creamy.

Ladle into cupcake/muffin tin. Bake at ~20-22 minutes at 350 or until a tester comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack. Let cool entirely before frosting.

For the glaze, melt together the chocolate and the butter (in double boiler or microwave) and stir until smooth. Add extract to taste. If it is runny, let it stand for a minute or two, but otherwise the chocolate should be thick, smooth, shiny and spreadable. Frost cupcakes with large swirls.