Frank’s Chocolate Cinnamon Cake
- Details
Need a chocolate fix? If you can’t decide between brownies, cake or fudge- make Frank’s Chocolate Cinnamon Cake and enjoy all three. The cake is dense and moist like a brownie, the frosting is like fudge, and the two combine to create the ultimate chocolate cake. Thanks, Frank!
Frank’s Chocolate Cinnamon Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup water
- 4 tablespoons Valrhona cocoa
- ½ cup shortening or coconut oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups flour, unbleached white or gluten free
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons Vietnamese cassia
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
For the Frosting
- 1 stick butter
- 6 tablespoons milk
- 4 tablespoons Valrhona cocoa
- 1 box (1 lb) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts, toasted and divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped ginger (optional)
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds (optional)
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 400 and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
- Melt butter in water then add cocoa and Crisco. Bring to boil, stirring well to incorporate the cocoa. Remove from heat.
- Mix the sugar and flour together in large bowl, and add the cocoa mixture. Stir well.
- Add the buttermilk, soda and cinnamon, stir to combine.
- Add the vanilla and eggs, stir to combine.
- Pour the batter into the greased baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
For the Frosting
- Begin making the frosting about five minutes before the cake is done.
- In a small saucepan, combine the butter, milk and cocoa, and bring to a boil. Whisk constantly until combined.
- Remove from heat and stir in sugar, vanilla and ½ cup of the nuts.
- Stir briskly, mixing well, and spread on cake while both are still hot.
- Sprinkle the remaining nuts, chopped ginger and pomegranate seeds on top.
Notes
The frosting comes out very thick and hardens quickly so don't make ahead!
If using pomegranate seeds as a topping, wait for the frosting to cool slightly on the cake before adding or the seeds will release their juice. Not an entirely bad thing to have little pools of pomegranate syrup on your cake....
1 Comment
Leave a Comment
Get Your Sausage-Making on with Chorizo Bomb!
World Spice Merchant’s new Chorizo Bomb spice blend has been a favorite of our restaurant clients for years, so it was no surprise that it started flying off the shelves as soon as we started …
Chinese Five Spiced Apple Carrot Pie
Tender carrots are surprisingly sweet when baked in a brown sugar syrup, especially when united with perfect Washington apples and plump little raisin gems. The fresh ginger is a classic pairing with the carrot, and …
Bejeweled Spice Cake
The holy trinity of baking spices: ginger, cassia-cinnamon and allspice combine in this traditional medieval spice blend called Poudre Douce. It makes this upside-down fruit cake an essential for the winter holidays — and …
Quatre Epices Cake
This recipe from our friends at Sunset promises a citrus and sweet taste, followed by a glow or a kick — depending on whether the signature French four-spice blend is made with white or black pepper. Well, …
Chocolate Chili Chess Pie with Liquored Pie Dough
When Heather Earnhardt opened her tiny cafe, The Wandering Goose, in Seattle, she added a little bit of Southern charm and comfort to the city. From her childhood in the South with her close-knit family …
Hey Amanda,
Lovely recipe. I guess Frank was a real factor for the making of the Chocolate Cinnamon Cake. ‘The frosting comes out very thick and hardens quickly so don’t make ahead!’ – Great advice. Much appreciated.
Regards,
Leila