Ingredients
- 1 cup cake flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus
- 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder, dissolved in 1 teaspoon hot water
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
Directions
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Position the oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat oven to 350°; butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan.
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In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, sugar, 2 tablespoons of the cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
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In a smaller bowl, combine the milk, butter, vanilla, and espresso mixture; add, along with the pecans, to the dry ingredients and stir until blended.
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Scrape the batter (it will be fairly thick) into the prepared pan; smooth the top.
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Add brown sugar to a small bowl; using your fingers, break up any large clumps.
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Add in the remaining ¼ cup cocoa powder and stir to blend.
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Sprinkle the mixture evenly on top of the batter.
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Slowly pour the boiling water over the top (don?t stir, just let it stand as is).
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Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is set.
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Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for about 15 minutes.
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Serve the cake warm, spooning it into bowls and drizzling a generous amount of the sauce over the cake (the water sinks to the bottom and mingles with the cocoa powder and brown sugar, forming a chocolate sauce).