Chocolate Espresso Cake - rich mocha cake with layers of glossy espresso buttercream. The perfect dessert for coffee lovers.
Are you a coffee-obsessed chocoholic? Me too. This Chocolate Espresso Cake recipe will quench your cravings with its bold espresso kick, balanced out beautifully with the sweet, indulgent cocoa flavor of the chocolate sponge. The combination of coffee and chocolate never fails to hit the spot, so what better than a decadent mocha cake to bring them together?
After the huge success of my Coffee Cupcakes, I knew I wanted to create a fabulous cake for all the coffee lovers out there, this time bringing in the cocoa for all you chocolate lovers too!
If you love the sound of this recipe, you'll love my Tiramisu cake, which is another dream espresso dessert, or my Opera Cake for a special occasion. This chocolatey, moist, coffee-flavored cake is definitely my caffeine-addicted fiance's new favorite treat!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It blends two moreish baking treasures - chocolate and coffee - for a showstopper mocha cake recipe.
- Fresh espresso powder = fresh coffee flavors.
- Made easy with step-by-step pictures and instructions.
Ingredients
My Chocolate Espresso Layer Cake uses many ingredients that you likely already have at home, plus a few more that you can find in your local supermarket.
- Flour - I used all-purpose flour, but you could also use cake flour or self-raising flour (just leave out the baking powder if using self-raising).
- Sugar - Use regular white sugar, or substitute half of the white sugar for brown sugar to create a toasty caramel flavor.
- Eggs - Use large eggs, free-range if you can.
- Cocoa Powder - Dutch processed cocoa powder will give you the best results. Natural cocoa powder will work too, but can often create a denser cake.
- Vegetable Oil - Using oil instead of butter in the sponge helps to make an extra moist cake.
- Fresh Milk - Whole milk is best but you can use whatever kind of milk you have.
- Espresso Powder - This is different than regular instant coffee granules. Though the packaging looks similar, the coffee is super fine, like a powder. Look for anything that says espresso powder or instant espresso powder.
You can adjust the amount of espresso powder used in the frosting to suit your taste. If you'd like a more subtle flavor, add only 2 tablespoons, or if you would like a very strong espresso buttercream, you can add another tablespoon or two. - Vanilla - You can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, or even a real vanilla pod if you like, but try to avoid vanilla essence.
- Condensed Milk - Be sure to choose sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk, which can look similar.
- Butter - For the glossy coffee buttercream. It's best to use unsalted butter, and it's essential that it's room temperature before you begin whisking it.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Make Chocolate Espresso Cake
This chocolate cake recipe is incredibly easy to make and will take just a few minutes to prepare the batter. You can add more espresso powder if you would like an even stronger coffee flavor in your mocha cake.
Mix Dry Ingredients
Preheat the oven to 335°F / 170°C and prepare two 8-inch cake pans.
Put the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and combine.
Add Wet Ingredients
Into the flour mixture, add the eggs, vegetable oil, fresh milk and vanilla and mix until combined and free from lumps.
You can use a mixer if you want but it's super easy to do by hand with a whisk.
Add Coffee
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula or wooden spoon to ensure there are no dry ingredients stuck there.
Now, dissolve the espresso powder in the hot water and add to the cake batter. Stir until combined.
Pour into Pans
Pour the batter evenly between your two prepared cake pans and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean. The bake time will vary greatly depending on your oven, so make sure to keep an eye on it once you reach the 20-minute mark.
Leave the sponges to cool in the cake pans for at least 30 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Measuring Ingredients: I always recommend weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale, rather than using measuring cups. It's very difficult to measure accurately with cups and this can mess up your bakes.
Make Coffee Buttercream
This silky espresso buttercream is a coffee-infused version of my Russian buttercream. The great thing about Russian buttercream is that it is incredibly easy to make and tastes divine! For more info and tips on making this frosting, check out my Russian Buttercream post.
Whip the Butter
Start by making sure your butter is at room temperature. The butter temperature is super important so the buttercream doesn't split. I find the best results when I remove my butter from the fridge about an hour to an hour and a half before using it.
Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip with a whisk attachment at medium-high speed for 5 full minutes, regularly scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Add in Condensed Milk
After 5 minutes, the butter should be super pale and creamy. Turn the mixer down to a medium speed and very gradually drizzle in the condensed milk.
Let it mix and incorporate as you go to avoid splitting.
Keep Mixing
Once all the condensed milk is incorporated, turn the mixer back up to high speed and whip for another minute.
Incorporate Espresso
In a separate small bowl, add the espresso powder and 1-2 tablespoons of hot water, and stir until totally dissolved.
Add the espresso mix to your frosting along with a teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of salt, then continue to whip the espresso Russian buttercream for a further minute on maximum speed.
It should be thick and glossy and able to form stiff peaks.
Troubleshooting
If your buttercream doesn't look silky smooth or thick, see my Russian Buttercream post for troubleshooting. If your frosting looks like it became too aerated in the whipping process, you can mix it on low speed with a paddle attachment for one minute to make it smoother.
Assemble and Decorate
Stack and Fill
Once the cakes have completely cooled, cut them in half to form four thinner cake layers instead of two. I like to use a cake leveler, but a serrated knife will work too.
Start with a layer of mocha sponge on your serving plate or turntable, and top with a generous helping of the coffee buttercream and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Place another layer of cake on top of this, and repeat until you have all four cake layers.
Decorate
If you want to leave it as a 'naked' cake, you can leave the sides bare and just pipe or spread some frosting on top of the cake. For the look I've created, spread a thin layer of frosting all over the top and sides of the cake as a crumb coat. Let sit for 15 minutes before spreading a thicker layer of frosting all over the cake and smoothing it out with a pastry scraper or palette knife.
Grab a piping bag, and pipe some rosettes on top of the cake and decorate with chocolate shavings and/or curls or chocolate-covered espresso beans to create the ultimate chocolatey coffee cake.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer - You definitely want to use a stand mixer to make the espresso Russian buttercream as it will be very tiring to do by hand.
- Cake Pans - I used 8-inch cake pans, but the recipe would also work with 9-inch pans.
- Palette Knife - This will help you spread the espresso frosting on nice and smoothly. You can also use a pastry scraper.
- Piping bag - An optional tool, but it's great for taking your decoration to the next level.
Storage
Store your chocolate espresso cake in an airtight container. It is best kept at room temperature as the fridge will dry it out. Eat within 3-5 days of baking.
FAQs
If you have a question about this recipe that isn't answered here, feel free to write it in the comment section and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
I have experimented a lot with using freshly brewed espresso in my baking, and although it has a delicious and strong coffee flavor, it requires too much liquid to be added to the mixture to achieve the level of flavor we want.
That's why espresso powder is a perfect option for baking; you can get the incredible espresso flavor without having to water down your batter too much. If you'd like a recipe that does use real espresso, check out my Tiramisu Cake.
More Coffee Desserts
If you love getting your caffeine and sugar fix together, you might enjoy some of these other coffee-infused treats.
Recipe
Chocolate Espresso Cake
Equipment
- Stand Mixer for frosting
- 2 9-inch cake pans
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Espresso Cake
- 2 cups All-purpose Flour 240g
- 2 cups Granulated Sugar 400g
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 Large Eggs
- ½ cup Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder 50g
- ½ cup Vegetable Oil 110g
- ½ cup Whole Milk 120g
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 tablespoon Espresso Powder
- 1 cup Hot Water 240g / 240ml
For the Espresso Buttercream
- 21 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk 600g
- 3 sticks Unsalted Butter 340g
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoon Espresso Powder
Instructions
To Make the Chocolate Espresso Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C (160° fan-assisted) and grease and line two 9-inch cake pans.
- Sift the dry ingredients (except the espresso powder) into a large bowl and mix together.2 cups All-purpose Flour, 2 cups Granulated Sugar, 2 teaspoon Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon Salt, ½ cup Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder, ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- Stir the wet ingredients (except the hot water) together in a separate bowl until combined, then pour them into the dry ingredients and whisk gently until combined and free from lumps. Make sure to scrape down the bottom of the bowl. You can use a stand mixer for this if you want, but it's very easy to do with just a bowl and a hand whisk.2 Large Eggs, ½ cup Vegetable Oil, ½ cup Whole Milk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Stir the espresso powder into a cup of recently boiled water, then add it to the cake batter and mix it in. The batter will be VERY runny, don't worry, this is how it's supposed to be!3 tablespoon Espresso Powder, 1 cup Hot Water
- Divide cake batter evenly between cake pans and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Bake time may vary depending on your oven, so always test with a skewer before taking it out of the oven.
Make the Espresso Russian Buttercream Frosting
- Whip butter with a whisk attachment on high speed for 5 full minutes until pale and creamy. Make sure to pause periodically to scrape down the sides of the bowl.3 sticks Unsalted Butter
- Turn the mixer down to medium-high speed and drizzle in the condensed milk very slowly and gradually, a little at a time, whipping in between additions. It is important not to add the condensed milk too quickly, or it won't emulsify and the buttercream will split.21 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Add the vanilla and salt and whip on high speed for a minute. The frosting should be smooth, thick and glossy.½ teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Mix the espresso powder in 1 tablespoon of hot water and add it to the buttercream, whip until combined.2 tablespoon Espresso Powder
- Check my Russian Buttercream recipe post for more details on this buttercream and a troubleshooting guide.
Assemble the Cake
- Once the chocolate cakes have completely cooled, use a cake leveler or serrated knife to cut off the tops to make them level. If you'd like four thinner cake layers like I have in the pictures, slice each cake in half. You can also just keep it as two thicker layers.
- Put one layer of your cake onto a cake plate or board and add an even layer of coffee buttercream, then add the next layer and repeat until all your layers are used.
- Cover the cake with the remaining buttercream and decorate as desired.
It really helps and I love hearing all your feedback!
Laura
This cake and the frosting came out beautifully! I made it for Mother's Day and it was perfect. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! We love it and plan to make again!
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Laura,
I'm so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed the chocolate espresso cake! I hope you had a wonderful Mother's day!
Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for taking the time to let me know you loved it!
Jules
M.Isabelle
A wonderful recipe, but you'll need twice as much icing if you want to achieve the ratios and decorations shown in the images. I baked three 8-inch layers (rather than the four 9-inch layers suggested in the recipe) and only just had enough icing to achieve a 'naked' cake.
I prefer cakes that are less sweet and so reduced the sugar by 25%. I reduced the amount of water by about 30% to adjust for this.
Our guests loved this cake and it'll definitely become a regular!
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Isabelle,
Thank you so much, I'm really glad you enjoyed the cake!
That is great feedback about the amount of icing. I plan to update this recipe soon so I will experiment with the frosting to cake ratio and see if I can't make it better. I really appreciate the feedback!
Thank you,
Jules
Hannah
This recipe is absolutely amazing. I was worried when I read some reviews but I decided to try it anyways because it sounded so good. Turns out it is! I will say that it helps having some experience in baking where I can see some people going wrong (ie. the buttercream or even adding a little too much cocoa powder which can really dry out a cake) but if you follow the directions exactly you will have the most delicious cake. I am bringing it to my friends 40th birthday tonight and I can't wait for everyone to try it!
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Hannah,
Ah I'm so happy to hear you loved the chocolate espresso cake!
I really appreciate your feedback on the recipe too - I am working through all my older recipes to update them and make the instructions much more clear and thorough, so I will take this feedback on board when I come to do this one.
Thank you so much.
Jules
Eileen
The flavor and moistness of the cake and icing were perfect. The issue I had was getting the icing to the thickness and texture that was desirable. Took a while to accomplish that. Too long.
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Eileen,
I'm so glad you loved the flavor! It shouldn't take longer than a few minutes on high speed, what kind of mixer were you using? 🙂
Jules
Doris
The cake looks good but can't do the coffee thing. I don't drink and don't like it in my cakes and brownies. I tried it and to me it wasn't good
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Doris,
I get it, coffee isn't everyone's cup of tea! You might like my chocolate fudge cake instead!
Jules
a
espresso and russian buttercream are two of my favourite things so i was dead sure i'd love this recipe but it went completely wrong. i saw one of the reviews talking about how their cakes didn't rise and came out very thin but i disregarded them in favour of all the positive comments. well i'm sad to say i faced the exact same problem. i always weigh my ingredients and i'm fairly experienced so i can't understand what went wrong (though the cakes themselves were soft and tasty, it still hurts to waste ingredients and time...). i whipped up a six inch cake in a hurry only to find out the buttercream was barely enough to fill and cover it, none left over for decoration ? i'm surprised at how you managed to decorate yours then. anyways, 3 stars is generosity from my side, generally don't recommend this recipe (but the buttercream is delicious!)