Name: Instant Pot Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon flour; 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon shortening or coconut oil; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee; 1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa powder; 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1 large egg, at room temperature; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Instant Pot Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

July 24, 2018

This chocolate chip coffee cake is made in your Instant Pot. It’s mixed in one bowl and doesn’t require you to turn on your stove. And it’s so delicious!

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Instant Pot Baking

I have been teaching Instant Pot classes at The Chattery for several months now. One of the things that I have tried to do with varying levels of success is use my Instant Pot for baking. Using a recipe for baking a cake mix in the Instant Pot in a regular pan, I’ve had some cakes turn out perfectly and others turn out as complete goo.

My hypothesis was that using a bundt pan to increase the surface area of the cake would speed the baking time and make the cake bake more evenly. I picked up a bundt pan at Williams-Sonoma on a quick trip to Huntsville recently and I was eager to try it out.

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

I decided that my first bundt cake in the Instant Pot would be this chocolate chip coffee cake. This cake is adapted from a chocolate swirl coffee cake from one of my favorite cookbooks, Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn. LSQ used to have a cooking show and it was one of my favorites!

Why Bake in the Instant Pot?

A question I get asked a lot at my classes is one that makes a lot of sense: “What is the advantage to using the Instant Pot for baking?” I love to bake, but I also love not having to turn my oven on when it it so hot here, so that is an obvious advantage. I think that the steam generated inside of the Instant Pot also makes the cake very dense but moist at the same time. And, I mean, just look at that adorable tiny little cake! In my house, with two adults who are trying not to eat too many sweets, this cake is the perfect size!

One-Bowl Recipe!

The original recipe for this coffee cake doesn’t include chocolate chips, but how can you resist a coffee cake with mini chocolate chips and a chocolate-coffee swirl?? I turned it into a one-bowl recipe by skipping the step of mixing the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and assuming your butter is soft enough you could definitely just use a wooden spoon for mixing instead of a mixer. The original recipe recommends freezing the cake while it is still warm to make it ultra moist when it thaws (sorry if you are one of those people who is skeeved out by the word “moist”).

Baking the Perfect Cake:

Use my recipe for cake release below. It’s like homemade Baker’s Joy. I learned the recipe when I took cake decorating classes a lifetime ago and it is SO amazing for prepping fancy-pants pans like this. I was worried that my cake would stick but it popped right out! Don’t rely on butter and flour or cooking spray.
Cover the pan with paper towels then aluminum foil. That will keep the condensation from inside of the pot from ruining your cake.
Use a “sling” to get your cake out of the Instant Pot. I have a little metal sling that came with my Instant Pot steamer, but you can make your own by folding a couple of sheets of foil into long, thick strips.
Bring the ingredients to room temperature before making the cake to make mixing as easy as possible!

This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click the link and make a purchase on Amazon, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Shared on The Weekend Potluck on Served Up With Love and Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite!

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Mary

Yield: 8

Instant Pot Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

This Instant Pot coffee cake is delicious and super-simple to make without turning on your oven!

20 minPrep Time:

55 minCook Time:

1 hr, 15 Total Time:

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Ingredients

For the cake release

1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon shortening or coconut oil

For the filling

1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee
1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa powder

For the cake

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the cake release until smooth (i.e. no lumps of flour or solid fat remain). Brush the insides of a 6-7 cup bundt pan generously with the cake release. Cover the remaining cake release and save for another time. This should make enough for 2-3 small cakes. Set aside the prepared pan.
In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the filling. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the granulated sugar and the butter together using an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the egg and beat until homogenous.
Add half of the flour, the baking soda, baking powder, and the salt. Beat to combine then add half of the sour cream and beat to combine. Repeat with the remaining flour, the remaining sour cream, and the vanilla extract.
Use a silicone spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and fold in the chocolate chips. Scoop one-third of the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth. Sprinkle with half of the filling. Repeat with another third of the cake batter and the remaining filling. Top with the remaining cake batter and smooth the top.
Cover the top of the cake pan with two layers of paper towels and wrap with foil. Pour 1 1/2 cups of water into the Instant Pot and place the trivet into the Instant Pot. Fold two 20-inch pieces of foil into long strips and criss-cross them then place into the Instant Pot to make a sling for the cake pan.
Place the cake pan into the Instant Pot. Top with the lid and make sure the steam release valve is set to "sealing". Choose the manual pressure setting and set the time for 35 minutes.
Once the cook time has completed, allow the pressure to release naturally for ten minutes. Manually release any remaining pressure then carefully remove the cake from the Instant Pot, remove the foil and paper towels, and allow the cake to stand for ten minutes. Use a thin spatula to loosen the inside of the cake then carefully turn it out onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool slightly before serving, or wrap in foil and freeze for an ultra-moist cake.

Notes

Cook time includes time to reach pressure and time to naturally release pressure.

Blueberry Dump Cake From Scratch

June 13, 2018

Knowing how to make dump cake from scratch is a valuable skill to have. Forgive the name but dump cake literally just requires dumping ingredients in a pan and baking them. This blueberry dump cake from scratch is a delicious, perfect summer recipe, and you probably have all the ingredients you need!

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Dump Cake?

First of all, let me apologize to you for the name of this recipe. I hate the term “dump cake”. I mean, I get that it is called that because you literally dump the ingredients into a pan and bake them, but GAH. It just sounds very unappetizing. Ditto for “dump dinners” (I have seen a cookbook in my favorite local used book store with this name and I. Just. Can’t.).

But alas, when you write a blog you have to give the people what they are looking for, and according to Pinterest and Google, people are looking for dump cakes. Or, if they are like me, they are looking for “dump cake from scratch”.

The dump cakes from my previous experience are absolutely delicious and are made with a few basic ingredients:

Canned pie fillings
Cake mix
Butter
Maybe some other ingredients like canned pineapple, brown sugar, etc., but these are not necessary.

Dump Cake from Scratch!

And you guys know me…I have an insatiable need to make everything from scratch (i.e. without a mix or a can). Mostly because I know that I am always going to have some sort of fresh or frozen fruit, butter, and dry ingredients for a cake in the house. But also because I really do, at least in theory, try to avoid processed food as much as possible (though I have not been as good at this lately. Stress, am I right?).

I did a little poking around the interwebs trying to figure out how to make a dump cake from scratch. I found a recipe on Simply Recipes and riffed on that a bit. My filling follows their formula but my dry cake is actually a divided recipe for yellow cake from the book The Perfect Cake from America’s Test Kitchen, which I somehow miraculously managed to score the Kindle edition of last week for $3.99. A miracle indeed, because ATK books never go on sale!

I used frozen blueberries for mine, but you could definitely use a variety of fruits instead. And while this may not be a literal “dump and go” recipe like the original dump cake, dump cake from scratch is still dead simple and you probably have the ingredients in your house:

fruit
sugar
cornstarch
flour
baking powder
baking soda
butter

Easy, right? And because when I use a bowl for dry ingredients I just wipe it out with a towel and put it back, the only dishes that I dirtied were the pan and the bowl I used to melt the butter. 100% worth it for this delicious dessert that is perfect for summer and that, by the way, I baked in my Breville Smart Oven so I didn’t even have to heat up my kitchen.

Oh yeah – vanilla ice cream is non-negotiable. Don’t even try.

Shared on The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

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This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click the link and make a purchase from Amazon, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Products used for this recipe:

Mary

Yield: 1 9x13 inch cake

Blueberry Dump Cake From Scratch

This recipe is adapted from Simply Recipes and from the book A Perfect Cake from America's Test Kitchen.

10 minPrep Time:

45 minCook Time:

55 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

For the filling

3 pounds fresh or frozen fruit (there is no need to thaw frozen fruit)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
pinch salt

For the cake

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks or 12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375? Fahrenheit.
In a 9x13 inch pan, combine the fruit with the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sprinkle the dry cake ingredients evenly over the fruit mixture.
Use a spoon to drizzle the melted butter evenly over the dry cake mixture.
Bake the cake for 35-45 minutes, until the cake is light golden on top and the fruit is bubbling. Frozen fruit may need to bake slightly longer (my fruit was frozen and I baked my cake for 55 minutes). There may be a few small patches of dry ingredients on top. I just smoothed these with a spoon.
Cool the cake for at least an hour before serving. I know that this is a difficult step but eating the cake too soon will result in unpleasant mouth burns! Vanilla ice cream is non-optional!

Nutrition

https://chattavore.com/blueberry-dump-cake-from-scratch/

Italian Cream Sheet Cake + Video

December 17, 2017

Italian cream sheet cake is a classic Southern cake made simple in a sheet pan. With cream cheese icing, pecans, and coconut, it’s perfect! Scroll down for video.

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Italian Cream Cake

Some time ago, Philip announced that he had decided that he wanted an Italian cream cake for his birthday. As ubiquitous as Italian cream cake seems to be, you might be surprised to know that I don’t have a single recipe for Italian cream cake in any of my many cookbooks. However, I was searching through my grandmother’s recipe books over the holidays and discovered this:

Sheet Cakes 4-Evah

A few adjustments (I’ve never seen canned coconut in my life, and you guys know I don’t buy shortening) and I turned out a lovely and delicious sheet cake. Oh, did I mention that this rectangular cake pan from USA Pans has revolutionized my cake baking life? I may never bake another layer cake again. I love the ease of doing everything in one pan and then just throwing some foil over the top of the pan for transport instead of having to turn it out of the pan (crumbs everywhere), ice it on a cardboard round, and then load it into a cake carrier while praying that it doesn’t somehow topple into the sides of the carrier.

It’s a Southern Cake!

The funny thing about this cake is that I am almost certain that there’s nothing Italian about it. As I searched for the origins of Italian cream cake online, I found this information on Food Timeline that describes a cake that sounds nothing like this Italian cream cake that Southerners have come to know and love…which leads me to the conclusion that the origins of this cake are not Italian but from right here in the Southeast region of the United States.

I am fairly certain that I gained a couple of pounds just scraping the bowl of icing. And I still have this cake in my kitchen. It’s threatening to be my downfall.

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Mary

Yield: 1 13x9 sheet cake (about 20 servings)

Italian Cream Sheet Cake

30 minPrep Time:

40 minCook Time:

1 hr, 10 Total Time:

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Ingredients

For the Cake

5 eggs, separated
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

For the Icing

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 13×9 cake pan and set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer, beat the eggs whites on high speed until stiff peaks are reached. Set aside (if you are using a stand mixer, you will need to transfer the whites to a different bowl and clean out the mixer bowl).
Whisk the flour and the baking soda together in a medium bowl.
Cream together the 2 sticks of butter and the sugar until fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately, about a third of each at a time. Add the vanilla then scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the pecans and the coconut.
Carefully fold the reserved eggs whites into the cake batter. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the icing, cream the butter and cream cheese using an electric mixture on medium speed. Add the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, and beat until well combined. Add the vanilla and the coconut and beat until incorporated.
Spread the icing over the cooled cake and sprinkle evenly with the chopped pecans.

Nutrition

https://chattavore.com/italian-cream-sheet-cake/

Italian cream sheet cake is a classic Southern cake made simple in a sheet pan. With cream cheese icing, pecans, and coconut, it's perfect! #cakes #baking #sheetcake #italiancreamcake #southernfood | Recipe from Chattavore.com

Santa’s White Christmas Wacky Cake

November 13, 2017

This post was sponsored by Barnie’s Coffee as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Santa’s White Christmas Wacky Cake is super-easy-mixed in one pan-and so delicious with coconut, caramel, and vanilla flavors!

Click here to save this recipe!

Are You a Coffee Drinker?

What is your coffee-drinking style? For me, coffee is a ritual…it’s not as much about the caffeine as it is about the smell of coffee wafting through the house, the warm coffee, and a hot cup in my hands. Now, I am a coffee drinker 365 days a year, usually two cups a day: one in the morning and one when I get home in the afternoon.
Coffee + Baking = YES PLEASE

I love an iced latte but this time of year it’s all about warmth…not that it’s cold here yet, but it’s getting closer. When the holiday season hits I love all the scents of the season – cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate, and coconut. Fresh baked goods always call for a cup of coffee, and if I can find a way to squeeze some coffee into the baked goods, even better.
Santa’s White Christmas

Honestly, I can’t think of a better coffee to drink this time of year than Santa’s White Christmas from Barnie’s. I remember when there was a Barnie’s Coffee at our local mall, smelling the caramel-coconutty-vanilla scents at the holiday season and getting a Santa’s White Christmas granita. Always a treat! Barnie’s Coffee has been making Santa’s White Christmas for 37 years (almost my whole life!) and this coffee is much-beloved around the country…not just for it’s delightfully festive flavors but also for the fabulously high quality that you can always count on from Barnie’s Coffee.
Wacky Cake!

Santa’s White Christmas is the perfect coffee to make this Wacky Cake. Mixed right in the pan, it’s so simple and delicious…topped with a cream cheese frosting with just a touch of coffee mixed in and a sprinkle of coconut, this cake is simplicity and flavor in under an hour with minimal dirty dishes. If you sift the powdered sugar and make sure the butter and cream cheese are super-soft, you don’t even need to use a mixer to make the icing!

You can find a variety of Santa’s White Christmas products in stores or on the Barnie’s Coffee website. Use the promo code CHATTAVORE30 to get 30% off of Barnie’s Coffee products!

How do you like your Santa’s White Christmas from Barnie’s Coffee? Show us your Santa!
Shared on The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

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Santa’s White Christmas Wacky Cake

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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
heaping 1/4 cup natural cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 cup Barnie's Santa's White Christmas coffee

For the Icing

4 ounces (1/2 block) cream cheese, room temperature
4 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons brewed Santa’s White Christmas coffee
Sweetened, shredded coconut (optional, for topping)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350? Fahrenheit.
Place the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in an 8-inch ungreased square glass or ceramic pan and use a fork to combine.
Create 3 wells in the dry ingredients. Place the vinegar in one, the vanilla in another, and the oil in the third. Pour the coffee over the top and use the fork to combine the ingredients completely.
Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
To make the icing: in a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese and butter with a wooden spoon or an electric hand mixer until smooth and well-combined. Add the sifted powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and coffee. Stir or cream together until well-combined. If you mix it by hand there may be a few lumps but it will not affect the flavor. Spread the icing over the cooled cake. Top with shredded coconut, if desired.

Nutrition

https://chattavore.com/santas-white-christmas-wacky-cake/

Santa's White Christmas Wacky Cake is super-easy-mixed in one pan-and so delicious with coconut, caramel, and vanilla flavors! #SantasWhiteChristmas #IC #ad #ShowUsYourSanta #cake #holidaybaking | Recipe from Chattavore.com

Chocolate Stout Cake with Ganache Drizzle + Video

October 27, 2017

Use your favorite chocolate stout (or porter) beer to make this dark chocolate stout cake with ganache drizzle! Perfect rich, chocolatey dessert. Scroll down for video!

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Chocolate Stout Cake

Chocolate stout cake was born out of my husband’s request for me to make more food with beer in it (I’ve mentioned that before a time or two). This was actually his suggestion.

Icing Decisions

I considered a whiskey caramel drizzle or an Irish Creme icing, but then I decided that I didn’t need to get too fancy. Nothing that involved thermometers or boiling or a mixer. What should go on top of a chocolate stout cake? Chocolate stout ganache, duh.

Which Stout to Use?

Most stout cakes involve Guinness, but my husband owns a beer store and I can get lots of great craft stouts and porters. My favorites for this recipe are Terrapin Moo-Hoo Chocolate Milk Stout (pictured), Boulder Shake Chocolate Porter (in the video), and Founder’s Breakfast Stout.

The Cook’s Illustrated Baking Book

The Cook’s Illustrated Baking Book (<–affiliate link) provided the perfect starting point with their chocolate sour cream bundt cake recipe (and a wonderful tip for “greasing” the pan with butter and cocoa), and the Beeroness gave me a wonderful ganache recipe. By the way, I’ve decided that bundt cakes are every bit as easy sheet cakes, and when icing just involves heating, stirring, and pouring, that’s a win.

This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you click the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Shared on The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

Click here to save this recipe to your Pinterest chocolate and baking boards!

12-16 servings

Chocolate Stout Cake (adapted from The Cook's Illustrated Baking Book)

30 minPrep Time:

50 minCook Time:

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Ingredients

For the cake

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus one tablespoon for pan
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus one tablespoon, melted, for pan
6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup chocolate stout (I used Terrapin Moo-Hoo chocolate milk stout)
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups packed brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature

For the Ganache

2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chocolate stout

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position a rack at the lower middle position. Combine the tablespoon of melted butter with the tablespoon of cocoa. Brush all over the inside of a 12-cup bundt pan.
Combine the remaining cocoa with the 6 ounces of chopped chocolate. Heat the 3/4 cup stout to nearly boiling. Pour over the chocolate mixture and allow to stand for five minutes. Stir until smooth, then stir in the sour cream until completely combined. Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a small bowl.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until completely combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium and add the flour mixture, a third at a time, alternating with the chocolate mixture, beating until completely combined and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
Use a rubber spatula to scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake has only crumbs clinging to it. Cool in the pan for ten minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
For ganache: Set the cake on the wire rack over a baking sheet. Place the 2 cups of chocolate into a bowl. Heat the cream and remaining stout until nearly boiling. Pour over the chocolate and let stand for five minutes. Stir until smooth. Let stand for thirty minutes to allow it to thicken. Pour over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides and the center. The excess will collect in the pan and can be reserved for another use. Allow the cake to stand for 15 to 30 minutes to allow the ganache to set before serving.

Nutrition

https://chattavore.com/chocolate-stout-cake/