Coffee Chocolate Cake

This is the best Coffee Chocolate Cake ever! Three layers of incredibly moist and delicious chocolate cake sandwiched together with a smooth coffee buttercream that will send you straight to dessert paradise.

This coffee chocolate cake recipe is for any coffee and chocolate fans! This cake has incredible soft and moist chocolate cake layers covered with a most delicious coffee buttercream. This recipe uses the best chocolate cake recipe and this moist chocolate coffee cake will a new favorite!

The information you provided is not valid. Please check the field format and try again.

Your subscription is confirmed.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Coffee buttercream: This cake has most amazing coffee buttercream and it is full of flavor!
Chocolate cake layers: These chocolate cake layers are incredibly soft and so quick and easy to make
Easy and quick recipe: It’s an incredibly easy recipe to make and beautiful showstopper of a cake.

INGREDIENT NOTES

These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.

All-purpose flour: Gives a light and airy cake. I prefer using all-purpose flour with a protein amount that is between 10-11%
Cornstarch: Helps give a light and soft cake
Sugars: The granulated sugar helps sweeten, as well as give moister to the cake. The brown sugar helps add extra toffee flavor to the cake.
Baking powder and baking soda: Help leaven and rise the cake, so it has light and fluffy texture.
Salt: Helps enhance the flavor of the chocolate cake.
Egg: Take it out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking, so it comes to room temperature. (depending how warm your kitchen is).
Coffee: Use freshly brewed coffee. The coffee helps boost the chocolate flavor. It can be replaced with hot water if you don’t want to add coffee to the cake. Coffee is also used in the in buttercream.
Oil: Use a flavor neutral oil, such as canola oil.
Sour cream: Sour cream gives lots of moister to the cake, as well as helps give the cake a great structure.
Unsweetened Cocoa powder: I use high quality dutch process cocoa powder for the best flavor, my favorite is from Valrhona.
Butter: The butter is used in the buttercream.
Instant coffee: For the most amount of flavor, instant coffee is added to the brewed coffee for the buttercream.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Here is how to make and bake these Coffee Chocolate Cake. This recipe needs a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer. You will need a 3x 20 cm/8-inch round cake pans lined with parchment paper.

The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.

STEP 1: In a large mixing bowl, add all of the dry ingredients. Give it a stir to make sure everything has been combined. In another mixing bowl add all of the wet ingredients, and with a hand whisk, whisk them together until combined.

STEP 2: Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry while gently stirring it all together. Make sure there are no lumps left in the batter.

STEP 3: Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pans and bake them for 28-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool on a wire rack. After 5 minutes, gently remove the cakes from the cake tins and let the cakes cool down completely.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS – BUTTERCREAM AND ASSEMBLING

STEP 1: Add the coffee to a cup or small bowl. Add the instant coffee and stir it together. Adding the instant coffee will make the coffee even stronger. Sift the powdered sugar and set it aside.

STEP 2: Mix the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer for 4 minutes on medium/high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for an additional 2 minutes.

STEP 3: Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extra and coffee in 2 parts. Whipping until each addition is fully incorporated. Optionally add vanilla paste to enhance the vanilla flavor even more. Give the buttercream a final mix for 2 minutes.

STEP 4: To assemble, start by cutting the very top of the cooled down cake layers, using a serrated knife, so they have an even top.

STEP 5: Add 3 big scoops of frosting and with an offset spatula, even it out. Then add the next cake layer and repeat the process. Add the last cake layer and cover the whole cake in a thin crumb coat. Add the remaining frosting, and even it out over the cake.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
Don’t over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it’ll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.

FAQ

Can I replace the sour cream with something else?

Yes, replace it 1:1 with full-fat Greek yogurt.

Can it be made a day ahead?

Yes, make each element the day before, so you only need to assemble it the next day. Store the cake layers in the freezer well wrapped in plastic wrap, the next day defrost them 1 hour before assembling the cake. Store the coffee buttercream at room temperature covered by plastic wrap or in an airtight container. Before assembling, give the coffee buttercream a good mix to remove the air bubbles. Assemble the cake as written in the recipe.

When do you know when a cake layer is done?

I recommend using a cake tester or a toothpick. Once the time has passed, per the recipe, insert the cake tester in the middle of the cake and once it comes out clean, with no cake batter on it, then it’s done.