Cocoa Tea Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I wanted to share this unusual quick bread with you today. I found the recipe for it on Food52 and it received such generally good reviews, that I wanted to give it a try. I haven't made a lot of chocolate quick breads because I've found them to be too heavy for my taste. This one, made with cocoa, was offered as a breakfast bread and I thought that anything designed to be eaten so early in the day would be lighter and not too intensely chocolate for a still sleepy palate to bear. It was also ridiculously easy to make. The bread is a two bowl endeavor that can be made with a wooden spoon and a whisk. It certainly wins points for simplicity and I must admit it has a nice flavor. That being said, I had some difficulty deciding how and when to serve it. It is barely sweet and the chocolate-espresso flavor may be not be pleasing to all. I decided it would be most appreciated with afternoon coffee or tea and I served it with a lightly sweetened mascarpone that dressed it up a bit. The bread has a wonderful crust that I know you will enjoy, but I do have one caution to share with you. This bread tends to be on the dry side, so you'll want to be careful about how long you bake it and how you measure the flour you use. I used the fluff, spoon and scoop method and had a bread with an acceptable moisture level that was done in 50 minutes. If you are looking for something a bit different to serve with afternoon tea, you might want to give this cake a try. Here is how it is made.

Cocoa Tea Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of SmallKitchCara and Food52

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons good-quality, natural cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 egg
1-1/2 cup milk

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan and set it aside.
2) Mix together flours, baking powder, salt, cocoa, and cinnamon.
3) In a separate bowl, combine butter with sugar and espresso powder. Add egg, beating to distribute evenly, then pour in milk. Using as few strokes as possible, stir in dry ingredients.
4) Transfer batter to loaf pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until top is dry and slightly cracked. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a rack and cool further before slicing. Yield: 1 loaf.







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