With colder weather approaching, there is nothing quite like a piece of homemade cake and a cup of freshly brewed coffee. An equally heartwarming and delicious treat.
Mint and chocolate are a delectable, timeless pairing, and when combined with a crumbly topping, it is a match made in dessert heaven. And the best thing is - it can be served both warm and cold, either with a generous scoop of ice cream, or a simple mug of tea.
My tips for success.
I found this to be the quickest way of preparing the batter, but you can definitely use a hand mixer and blend the ingredients in the same order. Fat carries flavour, so always start with butter and vanilla, and mint, in this case. The rest is just adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
As far as fresh mint goes, you can definitely add more fresh leaves, but do keep in mind that it can get overwhelming after baking. For some additional mint flavour, you can serve it with more fresh mint leaves, especially the really tiny ones, they look the prettiest.
Please check the cake often and check it with at toothpick even before the time indicated in the recipe, so the cake stays nice and moist. The crumb topping can get a touch dry if overbaked, as well.
Ingredients
For the coffee cake
80 grams plain flour
75 grams light brown sugar
10 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
45 grams vegan block butter, slightly softened
70 grams unsweetened apple sauce
1 heaping teaspoon vanilla bean paste
100 grams water
1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
4-5 fresh mint leaves, or more to taste
For the crumb topping
40 grams plain flour
20 grams toasted walnuts, ground
30 grams light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
45 grams vegan block butter
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a small, round cake pan (13 cm) with baking parchment, bottom and sides. Take the softened butter, mint leaves, and vanilla, add them to a small blender, and let it run until it forms a nice, silky paste. Add in the sifted cocoa powder, and blend again.
To this, add the applesauce, water, vinegar, and sugar, and let it run again. If it looks like the batter is splitting at this point, that is fine. Pour the batter into a medium bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and whisk them together, making sure you do not overmix the batter. Pour it in the prepared cake pan and briefly set aside.
To make the crumb topping, mash together the butter and sugar until somewhat combined, then add in the flour, walnuts, and cocoa powder. Mix and mash with a fork until nice and crumbly, then add in the vanilla and combine. Top the cake and bake immediately, in a nicely preheated oven, at 180°C, for about 35-40 minutes. Check it with a toothpick to make sure it does not overbake. Let it cool in the pan completely, and then serve. Yields 6-8 servings.
