Chocolate Espresso Cake - rich mocha cake with layers of glossy espresso buttercream. The perfect dessert for coffee lovers.
Reader Review:
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!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Clarissa
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 for Mocha Cake
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.
How to Make Mocha 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 350°F / 180°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.
How To 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 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.
Mocha Cake Recipe Video
Watch a full video tutorial of exactly how to make this delicious mocha cake:
P.S. Subscribe to my YouTube channel for future video updates!
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.
How To Store Chocolate Espresso Cake
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
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
- ¾ cup Hot Water 180ml
For the Espresso Buttercream
- 2 cans Sweetened Condensed Milk 28oz / 800g
- 4 sticks Unsalted Butter 452g
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 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, ¾ 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.4 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.2 cans 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.3 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.
VIDEO
It really helps and I love hearing all your feedback!
Steph
Hi! The article says cook at 350 for 30-40 mins but the recipe says 335 for 25-35 mins. Which is the correct temp and time? Thanks!
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Steph,
Thank you so much for catching that! I updated this recipe recently and actually changed the cake batter to a totally different recipe - I must have missed updating the bake temp and time in the body of the post so thank you so much!
The correct temp and timing is the one in the recipe card - 335 for 25-35 minutes. I will edit the post now.
Thank you!
Jules
Destiney McDowell
The cake turned out phenomenal!! And finally, someone adds the measurements with the instructions. Heaven sent!!
Jules Grasekamp
So glad you loved the chocolate espresso cake Destiney!
Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Jules
Jarrod
Yo we are making this and the batter is incredibly runny. Going to try it out and see what happens.
Jarrod
Came out of the oven. Confirmed that the batter will be far more liquid than a box cake batter.
Cake baked very nicely!
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Jarrod,
Yes it is a super liquidy batter but that is how it is supposed to be! I'm happy to hear your cake turned out well!
Thank you for trying my recipe 🙂
Jules
Sue
I live in a high altitude area. How can I make your recipe ?
Ashley
Followed the instructions step by step! Unfortunately my cake did not come out as in the picture! It actually came out super thin almost looking like a brownie, it did not come out spongy at all…super disappointed!!
Jules Grasekamp
Oh no I'm sorry to hear that Ashley, it's so disappointed when bakes don't turn out! I'm happy to help you troubleshoot. Can I ask first, did you use cups or a scale to measure your ingredients?
Annie Lyda
I whipped this up for my daughter’s birthday, it’s now a new family favorite. The buttercream isn’t excessively sweet. It’s light and creamy which pairs well with the dark chocolate espresso flavor of the cake. I have made it at least 6 times since my daughters birthday in july and every time it turns out perfect.
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Annie,
Thank you for trying my recipe and taking the time to let me know you loved it! It makes me so happy to hear when families enjoy making my desserts over and over!
I hope your daughter had a wonderful birthday!
All the best,
Jules
Natalie Cole
Hi Bonni
Under the ingredients section at the very top you can choose 1x; 2x or 3x ingredients. Please can you explain to me how this affects the volume of cake batter and what size and how many tins you need for 2x and 3x the ingredients.
I’m assuming the 1x ingredients make 2x 8inch or 9inch round cake tins.
Thank you very much.
Natalie
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Natalie,
The 1x 2x 3x feature on the recipe card is most commonly used when people are wanting to make multiples of the recipe quantity, rather than for increased pan sizes. It will literally make double or triple the recipe, so if you wanted to make 2 or 3 of this cake, in the same size. I'm afraid i couldn't confidently tell you how it would fill other sizes of pans as I haven't fully tested this recipe in other sizes.
The standard 1x of the recipe will fill 2 8-inch cake pans. (You can use 9-inch if you prefer, but the cakes will be thinner).
I hope this helps!
Jules
Matthew
How am I supposed to completely dissolve 4 tablespoons of espresso powder in only 1-2 tablespoons of hot water for the icing? It don’t even make sense lmao.
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Matthew,
Thanks for your comment. 1-2 tablespoons is actually plenty of hot water to dissolve 4 tablespoons of espresso powder! Just make sure you are using espresso powder and not regular coffee granules. The mixture will make kind of a paste, which you'll then mix into the frosting. If you have any troubles with it, please feel free to reach out.
I'd really appreciate if you could remove your 1 start rating if you haven't actually tried the recipe yet - I promise it's a good one!
Jules
Renee Casarez
My mother made this cake for my brothers girlfriend for her birthday and we all loved it . It was delicious. The only suggestion that she would make is to make 1 and a half times the frosting.
Bobbi
I followed this recipe to the T… that being said the photo of this cake was a great way to make us want to make it!
This cake was so hard, dense, and lacking in everything. I didn’t even attempt to frost it!
The batter alone was very thick and dense—I even added extra hot water trying to thin it out a bit— didn’t help! How did this recipe ever get published?!?
Jules
Hi Bobbi,
I'm sorry to hear your cake didn't turn out. It sounds like something went wrong at the measuring stage because the finished batter should be very thin and liquid-like - not thick at all. May I ask whether you measured your ingredients using cups or a scale? When people have trouble with a recipe this is usually the answer as it's actually very difficult to measure accurately with cups! Many people end up adding far too much flour, which can result in a dense cake. Alternatively, it could be the cocoa powder? Did you use dutch processed cocoa powder or natural cocoa powder? Dutch processed cocoa powder results in a far better texture and flavor. In any case, I'm happy to try to help you get to the bottom of the problem!
The recipe is published because it is a tried and true recipe we used and sold cakes with in my bakery for 10 years, and since then has been a huge success with thousands of readers on this site - it's a favourite for sure, so i really hope we can figure out what went wrong so you can enjoy it next time :).
Jules
Matthew
I have made the recipe and it did make a paste. However your recipe clearly states in bullet point 4 of making the buttercream, “In a small bowl, add the espresso powder and 1-2 tablespoons of hot water and stir until totally dissolved.” It doesn’t “totally dissolve”. I’d really appreciate if you could edit the recipe so it more accurate - it sounds like it would be really good made correctly!
Samantha Knowles
Followed recipe to a T and measured out everything perfectly cake was super dense and I did not like it at all, batter was really tasty though. Icing was also delicious but not easy to decorate with
Grace
The cake turned out good, not too dense. However, the frosting recipe just does not work. I set the butter out for an hour, making sure it was semi-soft before I started to whisk it. Added condensed milk 1/3 at a time. It was looking good until I added the espresso. It instantly separated once I started pouring it in. I tried it again and the same thing happened. Both times I set it in the fridge for a little over 10 minutes and whisked it again and it just separated more and got very soupy. Just wondering what I could do to fix?
Michelle Vieira
This recipe was awful. The cake was so dry and dense that it made the cake almost inedible. I made this for my daughters birthday since she loves chocolate and coffee but no one liked it. The Russian buttercream turned out great and has great flavor but a box cake would have been better than the cake recipe here. I don’t recommend this!
Jules
Hi Michelle,
Thank you for your comment. The most common cause of a cake coming out dry and dense is too much flour - did you measure the ingredients using cups or a scale? It's so easy to over-measure your dry ingredients when using cups, which is why I always recommend using a scale. The second thing could be using the wrong kind of cocoa powder. Natural cocoa powder can cause a dense, gluey texture in cakes, it's much better to use dutch processed cocoa powder, which will not affect the texture at all. I hope this helps and that your daughter had a lovely birthday!
Y Gonz
This cake came out very dense for me and I felt like I needed a cup of milk to dunk in a slice! I think I needed less oil and flour maybe. Or maybe too much cocoa powder. Too much something. I think I'll go back to my usual chocolate cake that uses 1/4 cup of oil and a cup of boiling water. The buttercream with condensed milk did not come out as stiff as I wanted but then it was very humid today. I'll stick with your pistachio cake recipe! 🙂
Melissa
Do you recommend making this the same day that you will serve it? Or can the cake and/or russian buttercream be made a day in advance? Is it as nice/fresh the next day or better the day of?
Sandra O
The cake is delicious. It makes a lot of batter. When I do it again I will likely use two 9" pans, or better yet will bake it in three 8" pans and avoid cutting the layers. I have a device for that, but think three 8" or 9" layers would be easier.
Read the tips, but my first attempt at that Russian buttercream was not that successful. First it was runny. I refrigerated it. Kept checking at 10 minute intervals, and then it seperated when I whipped it. I waited to do this on a cooler and less humid day. I am using a different buttercream recipe. But I will say the flavor was amazing.
Jules
Hi Sandra, thanks for your comment! I'm so glad you liked the cake! It does make pretty big cake layers, so two 9 inch pans/ 3, 8-inch pans woth both work well!
Sorry to hear about your buttercream, it definitely sounds like it was a temperature issue. I recently published a new post with more details and tips for making Russian buttercream, so you might find it helpful. https://bonnibakery.com/russian-buttercream/
Hope this helps! 🙂
Melle Kroes
I was wondering what your recommendation are about baking it ahead of time. Would it be better to bake the cake before and make the buttercream the day of. Or something else?
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Melle,
You can definitely make this ahead of time. You can make the cake and the buttercream a couple of days ahead. Just make sure the cake is well wrapped and in an airtight container (preferably at room temp) and that the buttercream is stored in the fridge. When you are ready to frost, let it come to room temp on the counter and fluff it up in your mixer with whisk attachment for a minute or so to bring the texture back.
You could also frost the whole cake the day before and store it in an airtight container at room temp overnight. Hope this helps!
Jules
B Onzi
Going to try this - good tip with dutch cocoa powder. Hope it’s not too hard to get over here:)