Delicious! おいしい!

Starbucks Chocolate Cinnamon Bread

*sigh* What's not to love about it? I used to pick this up every morning at my favorite Starbucks. Too bad it's only a seasonal offering. I've looked up the recipe a long time ago and have always wanted to bake it but for some reason, I never did.

This, in my humble opinion, was the best dessert/pastry to ever be offered at Starbucks. At $1.95 per slice it was a bargain for the sheer pleasure of eating it. The Cherry Lemon Coffee Cake with Oatmeal‐Pecan Streusel at Starbucks was my alternate but I can't find any pictures or the recipe for this.

This is not a bread per se but a heavy cake. The cinnamon adds a contrasting flavor to the chocolate. Here is the recipe:

Chocolate Batter:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
11⁄4 cups Dutch-processed cocoa
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1⁄4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cocoa-Spice Sugar Crust:
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
3⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1⁄4 cup white decorating sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans and line the bottom of the pans with overhanging sheets of parchment paper (this will make it easier to remove the baked cakes.)

Make the Chocolate Batter: In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment on medium speed, until light and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next and scraping down the sides of the bowl several times.

Meanwhile in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, water and vanilla. With mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to butter, beginning and ending with the flour and beating just until blended. Divide the batter between the two pans, shake the pans to even the tops and set aside.

Make the Cocoa-Spice Sugar Crust: In another small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, ginger and cloves. Sprinkle the surfaces of both batters with the decorating sugar. Sprinkle with the cocoa sugar mixture, dividing evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely, run a thin knife around the sides to release the breads and remove from pans.

I have the original pdf of the recipe, email me if you want it. Enjoy!