Chocolate Maple-Syrup Cake
Al Wood
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Desert
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour plus more for the pan
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cup boiling water
- 10 tablespoons
- (1¼ sticks) salted butter at room temperature
-
1 cup Wood’s Maple Sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
-
⅓ cup Wood’s Maple Sugar
-
⅓ cup Wood’s Maple Syrup
- 3 sprigs rosemary
-
A pinch of table salt
Cake ―
For the Maple Sauce —
Directions
Cake ―
To make the cake, heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle position.
Mist a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray, then dust with flour; tap out the excess.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a medium bowl, combine the chocolate and cocoa. Pour the boiling water over top, jiggling the bowl to ensure all the chocolate is submerged. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth; set aside.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and 1 cup of Wood's Maple Sugar on low until just combined. Increase to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium and add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl once halfway through.
Reduce heat to low, then add the chocolate mixture and vanilla; scrape the bowl.
With the mixer running on low, add about a third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk, then scrape the bowl.
With the mixer running, add half of the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining buttermilk, then finish with the remaining flour mixture.
Fold the batter by hand to ensure it is homogenous. The batter will be thick but pourable.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread in an even layer.
Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Wood's Maple Sugar.
Bake until the cake forms a thin, crisp center crust and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.
Maple Syrup Sauce —
In a small saucepan, combine the Wood’s Maple Sugar, honey, rosemary, salt, and ⅓ cup water.
Bring to a boil over medium, stirring occasionally to dissolve Wood’s Maple Sugar.
Transfer to a liquid measuring cup and cool to room temperature.
The build —
When the cake is done, cool it in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
Remove and discard the rosemary from the cooled syrup, then drizzle about a quarter of the syrup onto the warm cake. The syrup will not be immediately absorbed; let stand for about 5 minutes to allow it to soak in.
Drizzle on the remaining syrup in 3 more applications, allowing a 5-minute rest between each.
Cool the cake completely in the pan, for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight (if storing overnight, wrap the pan in plastic and store at room temperature).
To serve — run a paring knife around the pan to loosen the cake, remove the sides of the pan, and cut the cake into wedges.
Recipe Note
Pro Tip — Don’t measure the ¾ cup water and then bring it to a boil or too much will steam off as it heats. Instead, boil a larger quantity of water in a kettle or saucepan, then measure the ¾ cup. Don’t underbake the cake or it will sink as it cools. When testing doneness, make sure the toothpick comes out clean and dry from the cake’s center. Finally, to ensure even absorption, drizzle on the syrup in four applications, with a brief rest between each. If applied all at once, the syrup will pool on the surface and turn the top soggy.
I had my niece, Morgan, make this and she did a fantastic job! She had some friends come over to try it and there was none left! It must have been pretty good!
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