Friday, March 7, 2008

CHOCOLATE CHAI LATTE CAKE WITH AMARETTO CREAM

Since I'm not baking desserts until my hips recover from chocolate onslaught, here's a recipe that I submitted to betterrecipes.com for their 2007 annual best recipe contest. It didn't win, but it was given 5 stars, their highest rating, and here's the comment they have posted on their website: "Chai latte and chocolate chips give this moist chocolate cake a distinctive flavor -- serve with a marscapone[sic] and amaretto cream sauce."

Chocolate Chai Latte Cake with Amaretto Cream

INGREDIENTS: Cake: 1 18.25 oz. pkg. devil's food cake mix
1 small pkg. chocolate instant pudding mix
1 cup lite sour cream
1/2 cup brewed black tea, steeped for about 10 minutes
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1/3 cup chai latte mix
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Topping:
8 oz. mascarpone or cream cheese, room temperature
1-1/4 cups cold fat-free half and half
1/4 cup amaretto liqueur
1 small pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix
1/4 cup confectioner's (10X) sugar
8 oz. very cold heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS: Cake: Preheat oven to 350F. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Grease and flour a bundt pan, or spray with flour-added nonstick cooking spray. Combine all cake ingredients except chocolate chips in large mixing bowl. Mix according to package instructions. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into bundt pan and bake for 36-40 minutes, or till toothpick inserted in center of cake returns almost clean. Cool cake in pan for 10-15 minutes,, then invert onto wire rack to completely cool.
Topping: Place room temperature mascarpone in medium chilled bowl and beat till creamy. Add half and half and amaretto and beat till well combined. Sprinkle pudding mix and 10X sugar on top and beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes; refrigerate. In separate small chilled bowl, beat heavy cream until stiff. Fold into pudding mixture on slow speed with mixer or by hand with spatula or wire whip. Serve slices of cake with topping.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I want to make this cake but not as a bundt cake. Would it be the same if I made cupcakes or in a square pan?

Judy said...

Komal, Just about any cake can be made into cupcakes or baked in square, oblong or round cake pans. You'll have to adjust your time. Cupcakes will probably be done in 18-22 minutes, or when a toothpick inserted in center returns with just a few crumbs. An 8x8 or 9x9 pan will also need adjustments. Not sure how much of the batter would go into a square pan, it might be 2 square pans.