Mocha Cake Recipe
This Mocha Cake is made with two layers of moist and rich chocolate cake, covered in an extremely smooth and silky espresso Swiss meringue buttercream. An ultimate cake for chocolate and coffee lovers!
Servings: 20 slices
Ingredients
For the Coffee Mocha Cake
- 2 cup all-purpose flour 270 g
- ¾ cup cocoa powder Dutch-processed preferred, 60 g
- 2 cup granulated sugar 400 g
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup coffee espresso or strong brewed, cooled, 236 g
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature, 238 g
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup oil vegetable or canola, 102 g
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Melted butter for cake pans
For the Coffee/Mocha Buttercream
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate melting wafer 2 oz, 58 g, optional
- 7 large egg whites 7 ¾ oz, 219 g
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar 281 g
- 1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
- 20 oz unsalted butter room temperature, cubed or cut into thin pats, 5 sticks, 567 g
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoon instant espresso powder 20 g
- A big pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Brush two 8” cake pans with melted butter. Line the bottom of each cake pan with a piece of round parchment paper and brush the parchment paper with butter as well. Set aside.Melted butter for cake pans
- Make the cake batter: In a medium mixing bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder together. Add salt and sugar, and whisk until evenly distributed.2 cup all-purpose flour, ¾ cup cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 cup granulated sugar
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cooled coffee, buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla until thoroughly combined.1 cup coffee, 1 cup buttermilk, 2 large eggs, ½ cup oil, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredient mixture and stir until a smooth batter forms. But be careful not to over mix here.
- Bake the cake: Divide batter evenly among the two prepared cake pans and bake for 30 - 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached. If you’re using a kitchen scale for precise measurement, you should get about 700 g of cake batter per pan.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 20 - 30 minutes. When you can comfortably touch the cake pans, use a butter knife to loosen the sides, flip the pan over to remove the cake from the pan. Peel off the parchment paper, and allow the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack before adding frosting.
- Make the frosting: Start by melting the ⅓ cup of dark chocolate melting wafer in a glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Stir until smooth and set aside to cool. Skip this step if you aren’t making the optional mocha buttercream.⅓ cup dark chocolate melting wafer
- Add egg white and sugar to a heatproof glass bowl and place it over a pot of boiling water without allowing the bottom of the bowl to touch the water, reduce heat to keep the water simmering and not boiling over. Whisk the mixture constantly until all the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches 160°F.7 large egg whites, 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- Carefully remove the bowl from the pot and wipe the bottom and side dry. Transfer the egg white mixture into your stand mixer bowl and beat with the whisk attachment on medium speed. Stream in the vinegar or lemon juice, and continue beating until stiff peak forms and the meringue is shiny and smooth.1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the room temperature cubed butter, one cube at a time, allowing it to incorporate into the meringue before adding another. The mixture may curdle but just keep beating until it comes together.20 oz unsalted butter
- Once all the butter has been incorporated, add vanilla extract, instant espresso powder, and a pinch of salt, beat on medium-high speed until buttercream is light and fluffy.1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 4 tablespoon instant espresso powder, A big pinch of kosher salt
- Make the optional mocha buttercream: Once the espresso buttercream is ready, transfer everything to another mixing bowl leaving just 1 ½ cup of frosting in your stand mixer bowl and mix in the cooled melted chocolate, beat until fluffy.
- Assemble the cake: Line a cake stand or plate with a few strips of parchment paper around the edges and place 1 layer of cake on top. Add between 1 to 1 ½ cup of buttercream on top of the first layer and spread it out evenly with a spatula. I recommend using the mocha buttercream for the filling in this step.
- Place the second layer of cake on top. Add ½ cup of espresso buttercream on top of the second layer and spread it out evenly with a spatula. Use another ½ cup of espresso buttercream to cover the side of the cake.
- Refrigerate the cake and the remaining frosting for 15 - 30 minutes to firm up before piping decorations on the cake. You can also do this at any time during the decorating process when the frosting starts to get too soft or runny.
- When ready to finish decorating the cake, carefully pull out the parchment paper lining the plate or cake stand from the bottom of the cake. Add the remaining espresso buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a French star tip #8FT and pipe decorations to cover the top and side of the cake.
- Refrigerate the cake for 2 hours before serving.
Notes
- Type of cocoa: I preferred Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a deeper chocolate flavor but natural cocoa powder will work too.
- Frosting yield: the coffee buttercream frosting recipe yields about 6 cups.
- Clean equipment and tools: it is crucial to make sure your equipment and tools are clean and grease-free when making the meringue for the frosting.
- For a decaf version: use decaffeinated coffee for the cake and decaffeinated instant coffee for the frosting.
- Storage: this cake will last in the refrigerator for up to a week and in the freezer for up to 3 months. But serve at room temperature for the best texture.
Nutrition
Serving: 130g | Calories: 478kcal
