cinnamon squares.

Cinnamon. Coffee. Chocolate. O. M. G. It's the magical Cs!

It's another recipe by Dorie and while I was searching for it, I got the impression that many of those who made the cinnamon squares were not so impressed with it. But haha, I am here to prove that wrong!

I made sure not to overbake it by the slightest bit so that it would remain perfectly moist and I let the cake stand for a day to let the flavours gel and meld before cutting in to it. The first bite, I guarantee you, will be this huge explosion of sweet spices and you'd need to put down your fork for a moment and woah before you continue with your next bite. And the next. And the next.

I did tweak the recipe slightly though. I subbed half the sugar with brown sugar and replaced half the melted butter with applesauce. I discovered that although applesauce is relatively tasteless, it still does give off an apple-ly scent after baking.

And you know what? The cake smelled like a giant apple cinnamon bun~

Cinnamon Squares
adapted from here

Cake:
1 1/4 cups + 2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp + 2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder (I doubled it)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
10 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Frosting:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 4

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and line an 8 inch square baking pan.

Stir the 2 tbsp of sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon and espresso together in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, the remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking powder, salt and remaining 1 tbsp cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients over the flour mixture and gently whisk until you have a homogenous batter. Now, using the whisk or a rubber spatula, fold in the butter with a light touch, just until the butter is absorbed. You'll have a smooth, shiny batter.

Scrape half the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the chocolate over the batter and dust with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cover with the rest of the batter and smooth the top again.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out mostly clean. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it rest for 15 minutes before unmolding.

To make the frosting, heat the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water just until they melt. Be careful not to overheat the mixture so much that it thins out; the chocolate should be smooth, very shiny, thick and spreadable.

Frost the cake and allow the frosting to set at room temperature. It can keep at room temperature for 2 days, wrapped in plastic.