Page 222 - Chocolate Cake Doctor

204 S H E E T C A K E S

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven bined. Pour the batter into the prepared
and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly pan, smoothing it out with the rubber
mist a 13- by 9-inch pan with vegetable oil spatula. Place the pan in the oven.
spray. Set the pan aside.
3. Bake the cake until it springs back
2. Place the cake mix, water, oil, eggs, when lightly pressed with your finger, 32
and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend to 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the
with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 oven and place it on a wire rack to cool.
minute. Stop the machine and scrape
4. Meanwhile, prepare the syrup: Place
down the sides of the bowl with a rub -
the hot water, coffee powder, and sugar in
ber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to
a small bowl and stir until the coffee and
medium and beat 2 minutes more, scrap-
sugar dissolve. Stir in the Kahlúa.
ing the sides down again if needed. The
batter should look thick and well com-
5. Using a chopstick or a drinking straw,
poke holes in the cake. Spoon the syrup
R over the cake so that it seeps down into

the holes. Set the cake aside.
the Cake Mix Doctor says 6. Prepare the topping: Place the yogurt,

cream cheese, and confectioners’ sugar in
In The Cake Mix Doctor I also offered
a large mixing bowl and blend with an
up a creamy mixture of vanilla yogurt
and cream cheese as a substitute for electric mixer on low speed until the
the traditional mascarpone cheese, mixture is well combined and thick, 1 to
which may be hard to find outside of 2 minutes. Spread the topping over the
an upscale grocery or Italian market. syrup-soaked cake, using the rubber spat-
Suit yourself here, using the mock ula to spread it out to the edges of the cake.
mascarpone or real mascarpone if you
7. No more than an hour before serving,
can locate it.
sift the cocoa powder over the topping so
For those of you who do not like
that it covers the top of the cake. Cut the
bitter chocolate, use sweetened cocoa
cake into squares, and serve.
powder instead of unsweetened for
dusting on top.
Store this cake, covered in plastic wrap,
in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.