Celebrate the winter solstice with this mocha chocolate cake 

(Editor’s note: At 10:27 p.m. today – Thursday, Dec. 21 – the Northern Hemisphere will experience the shortest day of the year. But there’s no reason to be plunged into darkness. After today, the days get longer. And in the meantime, you can sink into this decadent recipe, courtesy of tea expert and Westfair contributor Ellen Easton. 

So get out your apron, pans and spoons. And when you’re all done be prepared to say, “Winter solstice – yum.”)  

Mocha cake with dark chocolate 

Ingredients:   

1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 

1 cup granulated sugar (plus extra sugar to prepare baking pan), sifted 

2 cups cake flour, sifted 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 cup milk, room temperature 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

4 large egg whites, room temperature 

2 tablespoons instant coffee grains 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Position oven rack in middle of oven.  Either prepare two (2) 9-inch cake pans, a Bundt pan or 2 to 3 (6-inch) tea cake pans. This cake can be baked in any shape pan you desire.  Coat the bottom and sides of the pans with Pam nonstick baking spray.  Dust the bottom and sides with Domino light brown granulated sugar until lightly coated. 

In the mixing bowl of your electric mixer, at medium speed, cream the butter.  Add a small amount of sugar at a time and continue beating until creamy.  Add the cake flour, baking powder, milk, vanilla extract and instant coffee grains. Beat until smooth. 

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and cling to the bowl.  Fold the stiff egg whites into the prepared batter. Pour into the prepared pan/pans. Only fill a pan halfway to allow the cake to rise when baking. 

Bake depending on the cavity size of the pan used for approximately 20 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake(s) comes out clean.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. 

For the dark chocolate glaze: 

In the top of an uncovered double boiler melt 8 ounces of semisweet baker’s chocolate, ½ cup powdered sugar and 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk until silky smooth. 

When cake is cool, remove from the pan/pans. With a warmed, flat knife, ice the cake with the dark chocolate glaze. Decorate with edible gold, sugar decorations or a design of your choice. – Ellen Easton