I’m not much of a baker despite liking pastry, breads, and of course, cake.

But I heard good things about an Ina Garten recipe that uses coffee in the cake batter. I tried it out.

I didn’t muck too much with the recipe since I’m not in a secure place to start messing with the careful formulas at play in baked goods. However, you can always play with the flavor profiles a bit.

Ina’s cake calls for coffee in both the frosting and in the batter. I kept things simple. I used a Scharffenberger cocoa in the cake, and used two kinds of Valrhona in the frosting. Because that was all that was left for the big “V,” it was an El Rey (the world’s best chocolate) that got shaved on top.

Ok, that was my only creative contribution: shaved chocolate on top.

The cake itself was moist, although the coffee flavor was not overwhelming. I almost think it could have used a little soaking of something fruity (not for moisture, but for the flavor) such as a berry or cherry something or another.

My only big mistake was only having salted butter at home: since I did, and realized it, I didn’t put salt into the cake, which called for it. Perhaps that’s why the cake is so much better when you get a little frosting mixed in!

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