Chocolate Coffee Almond Cake

We had family over for lunch the other day and I was inspired by this ice cream currently in our freezer to make this cake for dessert. As a side note, when I was a kid I wouldn't even try coffee cake because I thought it was coffee-flavored. Needless to say I missed out on some tasty desserts of my childhood. But this cake does taste like coffee - the perfect amount, with chocolate and almonds too. My mom took one bite and asked eagerly "You're going to blog about this, right?!?" So for my mother and all other chocolate/coffee/almond lovers out there, this one's for you.

Chocolate Coffee Almond Cake (serves 12-16)

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbls. cocoa powder
1/2 Tbls. chia seeds, crushed
1 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
3 Tbls. vegan butter, softened
1/4 tsp. almond butter (I used plain almonds, with no added seasonings)
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup strong coffee, divided*
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 tsp. each of chocolate, almond, and coffee extracts
2/3 cups sugar

For the frosting:
3/4 cup blanched almonds, soaked in water for a few hours**
1/4 cup strong coffee*
1/4 cup almond milk
1 Tbls. cocoa powder
1/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 - 1 cup powdered sugar

* 1/2 cup + 2 Tbls. total strong coffee. Make a pot and sip the rest as you bake :)

**You can buy blanched almonds at the store but if you're like me and inadvertently do things the hard way, here's how to blanch almonds that still have their skin on:

First, boil the almonds for 1-2 minutes. I think they smell like earl grey tea when they boil...anyone else?

Strain and rinse under cold water. The skin will be wrinkly and may be starting to come off. This is good.

Pinch the almond at either end between your thumb and forefinger until the skin pops off. Discard the skin.

Repeat with all of your almonds. Then demand a hand massage from someone. preferably someone who will later be enjoying the fruits of your labor.

Soak the almonds in water. If you do this first thing when you start the recipe they should be good to go by frosting time. And if you're using pre-blanched almonds, this is where you start.

Okay, now onto the recipe.

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Start by combining the chia seeds with 1/4 cup of the coffee to make a chia gel. Refrigerate so it can gel while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In a medium bowl sift the flour and combine with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.

In a large bowl melt the baking chocolate. Beat together with the rest of the cake ingredients (except for the dry mix you just made), and adding in your chia gel.

Gently fold in the dry ingredients to the wet.

Spread in a small rectangular cake pan and bake for 30 minutes.

I forgot to take a picture post-baking but it looks like chocolate cake. Use your imagination.

The cake needs to be cooled before you frost it so depending on how long your almonds have been soaking and how long it takes to cool, make your frosting at some point. Drain the almonds and blend with the remaining frosting ingredients until smooth. Yummmmm. Frost the cake, assuming you haven't eaten all of the frosting.

Slice and serve.