Godiva Pumpkin Spice Coffee...Cake

     

You know that it is fall when Starbucks brings back the Pumpkin Spice latte!  I love spices and nothing feels more like Fall than ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, etc, especially all mixed into your favorite hot drink or sweets.  My sister actually loves pumpkin pie so much that throughout our childhood she always requested pumpkin pie in place of her birthday cake....in June.  This Fall, Tastemakers gave me the chance to test Godiva's seasonal Pumpkin Spice Coffee.

It is a nice fragrant, rich roast 

that would be perfect for serving after Thanksgiving dinner, with a dollop of cinnamon ice cream melting on top.  Although, I really enjoy smelling the fall flavors, while sipping on my morning cup as well- without ice cream unfortunately...

   

  I love to make coffee smoothies with frozen yogurt and banana... or ice coffees for sipping in the still somewhat warm early Fall afternoons (and this Pumpkin Spice coffee was perfect in both...yes I tried them all) but I also felt that this was a little more special and therefore inspired me to try a little something different.  

I found a terrific recipe from All Cakes Considered for a coffee spice cake. For this recipe I would need 3/4 cup of strong coffee, and since I wanted to accent the Fall flavors, I knew that Pumpkin Spice coffee would be perfect.  It is important to bake with good flavorful coffee, since it lends so much to the overall flavor of the cake in the end.

The first step is to cream 3/4 cups butter and slowly add the 1 1/2 cups brown sugar on medium speed.  Beat it until it begins to get fluffy (3 minutes or so).  Then put the mixer on low speed to add 1/4 cup molasses, then 3 eggs, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl you will then need to mix:

21/2 cups flour

3 tsps baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

 11/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Then stir in 1/3 of the dry mix above into the butter and sugar.  Next, add 1/2 of the coffee, until it is all combined well.  Pop it in a bundt or tub pan, tap it a bit to get any air bubbles out, and bake it for 45 minutes or until the cake is done.  Then cool it, still in the pan, on a rack for 10 minutes. 

When cool enough, gently unmold it from the pan and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  

 This makes a perfect afternoon snack with tea, or Pumpkin Spice coffee of course.  It also  makes an excellent dessert.  Warm fluffy spice cake, covered with cool, sweet cream ice cream, (use cinnamon or pumpkin ice cream too)...and a little home-made caramel sauce.
  Enjoy!