Espresso Cake

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 (1 lb) package 10-x confectioners' sugar
• 3 chocolate-covered espresso beans
• 2 leaves mint

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2 grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan.
• 3 to prepare your frosting: beat cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl at medium speed until smooth.
• 4 dissolve the instant espresso in milk.
• 5 add confectioners sugar to cream cheese mixture alternately with milk mixture, beating 1-2 minutes or until blended.
• 6 remove 1 cup of frosting from bowl and set aside.
• 7 to prepare your cake: using a mixer (on low speed!!) add eggs to remaining frosting in mixing bowl.
• 8 add vanilla and beat until blended.
• 9 in small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
• 10 dissolve espresso granules in milk.
• 11 add flour mixture to mixing bowl alternately with milk mixture and continue beating 1-2 mins or until well blended.
• 12 pour cake mixture into pan and bake 30-40mins or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
• 13 cool cake for 10 minutes and remove from pan.
• 14 cool cake completely.
• 15 place cake on serving plate.
• 16 spread sides and top of cake with frosting that was set aside.
• 17 place 3 chocolate covered espresso beans on center of cake and place mint leaves on either side of beans, pointing in towards the center of the beans-- as leaves would be on a flower!
• 18 enjoy!