Mystery Mocha Cake

Photo: flickr user Ollie Crafoord

Ingredients

Cake

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose or

White Whole Wheat Flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup low-fat cocoa

3/4 cup skim milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup low-fat cocoa

1 cup double-strength coffee room temperature

Preparation

Cake: In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Add the milk and vanilla; beat till smooth. Pour the batter into a lightly greased 8" x 8" pan.

Sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the white and brown sugars. Sprinkle evenly over the cake batter in the pan. Pour the coffee over all. This may look kind of strange and messy, but never fear; everything will turn out fine.

Bake the cake in a preheated 350F oven for 40 minutes, or until the top springs back when pressed gently. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. This cake is best enjoyed warm, between half an hour and an hour after you've taken it out of the oven. However, it's also very good cold; I left a piece out on the counter for three days to see how it would age, and it was fine - still moist, and not at all rubbery.

Yield: 1 cake, sixteen 2 x 2-inch servings

NOTES : The only mysterious thing about this cake is how it can be so delicious and still contain virtually no fat. Looking at this deep, almost black chocolate cake, cushioned in a velvety fudge sauce, you'll think, "No way. No way is this cake low-calorie." But, at 124 calories a serving (not including the whipped cream/ice cream you'll be dying to add), it won't push your calorie count for the day into the stratosphere.