This Chocolate Cake is beyond moist, fluffy and packed with chocolate and coffee flavor. A rich dark chocolate cake frost with the silkiest and smooth mocha and chocolate swiss meringue buttercream.
Between each layer, youโll find chocolate fudge filling and frost with mocha buttercream, faultline of chocolate fudge and piped some dollops on top with chocolate-covered coffee beans. This Mocha Chocolate Cake is seriously so good. Rich dark chocolate cake and a silky Mocha Swiss Meringue buttercream. Does it get any better? I donโt think so. A perfect treat for Mocha and Chocolate Lovers.
For a step-by-step of how to make this Mocha and Chocolate Cake recipe, watch this video:
This cake is purely for those who are obsessed with chocolate and coffee flavor. I love chocolate and I love coffee so you can imagine that a mocha cake would be a great treat for me ๐ Coffee always accomplish and enhance the chocolatey flavor of a chocolate cake or ganache. Most of the time you donโt even notice it but today Iโm pouring some extra espresso into the batter and buttercream to make an amazing mocha cake!
SOME TIPS FOR THE BEST MOCHA CAKE:
- If you don’t have buttermilk, don’t worry! seriously it is very easy to make with only two ingredients: full-fat milk at room temperature and lemon or vinegar. Voila! your buttermilk will be ready by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in one cup of full-fat milk and let it rest until curdling. Just take a few minutes. You can substitute sour cream for the whole milk yogurt if desired, I do it all the time and canโt really tell the difference.
- The same way if you don’t have sour cream around. Just take one cup of full-fat milk cream and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in it.
- Also, you can replace sour cream with full-fat yogurt and it makes no difference in the moistness at all.
WHY DO WE PUT COFFEE IN CHOCOLATE CAKE?
Coffee enhances the chocolate flavor in baked goods like cakes, cupcakes, ganache, etc. Adding a little bit will make things taste more โchocolateyโ without giving a coffee flavor. Adding a lot of coffee will create a mocha flavor.
WHAT KIND OF COFFEE SHOULD I USE FOR THIS CAKE?
A fresh strongly brewed coffee will work great. You also can use a weaker coffee or even water with 2-3 tablespoons of instant espresso, and still, get good results. The recipe calls for hot coffee but honestly, Iโve made it with room temperature coffee and itโs still great. Always mix all the other wet ingredients first before adding the hot coffee. This prevents scrambled eggs from happening!
HIGH-QUALITY DUTCH PROCESSED COCOA POWDER:
I love using high-quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is darker, less acidic and fudgier in baked goods. Youโll usually get less rise out of it though. My go-to company is Callebaut chocolate but there are lots of great brands out there and lots of organic and fair trade options too!
HOW TO MAKE A MOCHA CAKE :
Preheat oven to 350F or 180C. Butter and flour three 8-inch cake pans. Sift together the dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Add sugar into the dry ingredients and whisk all together.
Add the sour cream veggie oil, buttermilk, and eggs into a large bowl and whisk together on medium speed for 2 minutes. In the end, add the hot or warm strong coffee to the mixture and whisk together.
Distribute batter evenly to the three pans and bake for about 35-45 minutes at 350F or 180C or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow time to cool for 10 minutes then invert onto wire racks to cool fully.
MOCHA SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl, whisk until combined. In another heavy bottom pan take some water and brings to boil. When the water starts boiling, reduce the flame and Place the bowl over a hot water bath on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins) or the temperature reaches the 160F. Remove from the stove.
Place the bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
Switch to the paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth. The buttercream may look like itโs curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth.
Add vanilla, melted and cooled chocolate, and espresso powder. Whip until smooth.
Mocha and chocolate swiss meringue buttercream are ready to frost your cake.
Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with chocolate fudge filling and spread evenly. Repeat with remaining layers and apply a thin coat of mocha swiss meringue buttercream frosting all over the cake. Chill for 20mins. Frost and smooth the sides. Chill for 20mins.
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE FUDGE FILLING:
I used a small offset spatula to roughly frost the cake and then a bench scraper to smooth everything out. This is the part that took the most time.
Pipe dollops of buttercream on the edge using an 8B large open star tip. Top each dollop with a chocolate-covered espresso bean.
If youโve tried this mocha cake then donโt forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1/2ย cup or 120mlย sour cream
- 1ย cup or 236ml buttermilkย
- 3ย large eggs at room temperature
- 1-1/2ย cups or 355mlย strong hot coffee( it's basically I or 2 tablespoons espresso powder in hot water)
- 3/4ย cup or 177mlย vegetable oilย
- 1ย tablespoonย vanilla extract
- 3ย cups or 360 grams all-purpose flourย
- 2-2/3ย cups or 533 gramsย granulated sugarย
- 1/2ย cup or 50 grams cocoa powder
- 1-1/2ย teaspoons baking powder
- 1ย tablespoonย baking soda
- 1ย teaspoonย kosher salt
For the Buttercream:
- 9 oz or (1 cup and 2 tablespoons) or 250 grams butterย unsalted, cubed at room temperature
- 6 oz or 180 grams confectioners sugar
- 3 oz dark chocolate, chopped, melted and cooled
- 1ย tablespoonย espresso powder
- 1ย tablespoonย vanilla
- 3 oz or 3 egg whites at room temperatureย
For the Assembly:
- 1/2ย cupย chocolate-covered espresso beans
Instructions
For the Cake:
-
Butter and flour 3 eight-inch cake pans.
- Preheat oven at 360F or 180C.
-
Sift together the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine.
- Add sugar in the sifted dry ingredients and whisk.
-
Add the eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract into the dry ingredients bowl and whisk together with electric mixer ar medium speed for 2 minutes.
-
Add in Coffee and whisk to combine then mix on level 2 for another one minute.
-
Distribute batter evenly to the three pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes at 350F (176C) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.ย
-
Allow time to cool for 10 minutes then invert onto wire racks to cool fully.
For the Mocha Buttercream:
-
Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl, whisk until combined.
-
In another heavy bottom pan take some water and brings to boil. When the water starts boiling, reduce the flame and Place the bowl over a hot water bath on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins) or the temperature reaches the 160F. Remove from the stove.ย
-
Place the bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
-
Switch to the paddle attachment.
-
Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.
-
Add vanilla, melted and cooled chocolate, and espresso powder. Whip until smooth.
For the assembly:
-
Pipe buttercream or chocolate fudge on the first layer.
-
Add the second layer on and repeat the process.
-
Add the third layer on and cover cake with buttercream. Smooth using an offset spatula.
-
Pipe dollops of buttercream on the edge using a large open 8B star tip.
-
Top each dollop with a chocolate-covered espresso bean.
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