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The blend of rich chocolate along with the heat of cayenne pepper pairs together beautifully in this sweet and spicy Mexican chocolate cake recipe. Paired with cinnamon whipped cream that can cool down any spicy notes, and you’ve got a dessert recipe winner!

Enchiladas, margaritas, and guac… oh my! The hubs and I are part of a supper club that tries to meet once a month for dinner. One couple hosts and prepares a main dish and the other couples bring a side, appetizer, or dessert. It’s such a great way to go “out” to dinner with friends without everyone having to spend a ton of money on both dinner and a babysitter. I’ve offered to bring dessert for the last two supper clubs, and last month, I took my Granny’s famous Hummingbird Cake, and it was a hit.

Sweet and Spicy Chocolate Cake

Although it was tempting to make it again and call it a day, our hostess for this month was making beef enchiladas, and I knew that the Hummingbird Cake wasn’t exactly a good fit. We keep enchiladas on a regular rotation here, and they are delicious, especially when you make homemade sauce (and this recipe from Gimmie Some Oven is THE BEST). As our host’s husband mentioned last night, “You could eat it on a piece of cardboard, and it would still taste awesome.” True story.

Keeping Chocolate Cake Moist

Enchiladas do tend to be a bit of a heavy meal, especially when loaded with beef and cheese, so I knew I wanted a lighter dessert, but I also wanted chocolate! My go to chocolate pound cake recipe was too heavy (I mean, they call it pound cake for a reason, right?), so I scoured Pinterest for a simple, light cake that I could tweak.

What I found was this recipe from Amy at She Wears Many Hats; I loved that she used Greek yogurt, and I knew that would lighten up the texture. It also works to keep the cake moist, since chocolate cake can easily get dry and crumbly. (Need a way to use up that container of Greek yogurt? Try this Greek Yogurt Strawberry Smoothie!)

Since I wanted a contrast to the sweet chocolate, I opted to throw in a bit of cayenne and cinnamon to keep the Mexican dinner theme going. Bueno!

Whipped Cream on the Side

And to keep the cake light(er) I opted to not use a glaze, but I still needed a way to add a bit of moisture, so I opted for a cinnamon whipped cream. And luckily, I snagged this fabulous heavy cream from our local natural food store. It’s from Atlanta, and the cream is so rich and golden, it looks like liquid butter, in a good way. Clearly not low fat.

You can certainly opt to use a rich chocolate ganache on top of this Mexican Chocolate Cake. I’ve actually done it myself, and it’s perfect for those who are big on chocolate. 

 

Mexican Chocolate Cake Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup Cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 cup Whole milk
• 3/4 cup Plain Greek yogurt
• 2 sticks Butter, unsalted
• 1 1/2 cups Sugar, white or raw
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla (Make your own!)
• 1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream, or Whipping Cream
• 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 tsp Cinnamon, ground

Chocolate Cake Recipe

1. Combine first six ingredients in a bowl and stir with whisk. In separate small bowl, combine milk and yogurt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or you can use a hand mixer), cream butter and sugar until creamy. Then add eggs, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla.

3. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk mixture to creamed butter. Mix until well combined.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour at 350 degrees, or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on cooling rack for ten minutes. Then run a butter knife along the edge of the pan to loosen cake, and invert onto cooling rack to finish cooling. Prepare whipped cream while cake cools.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream Recipe

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, begin whipping cream and cinnamon at high speed.
2. Gradually add in powdered sugar.
3. Continue to whip until thick and cream forms peaks when the beater is removed.
4. Serve alongside Mexican Chocolate Cake, and store in a glass jar in fridge.

This easy Mexican Chocolate Cake is the perfect recipe to go along with any casual dinner, and it’s an easy recipe for someone just starting out baking chocolate cake. I’d love to know if you enjoyed the recipe, so comment below!