A moist and flavorful coffee flavored cake with a rich whipped mocha icing. It's the perfect way to have your coffee and eat it too!
One of my favorite recipes on the blog - and one of the most popular - is my recipe for coffee cupcakes with mocha buttercream. It is incredibly moist and tastes just like a cup of coffee in cake form. The frosting is so good that you want to ask it out on a date.
Or eat it by the spoonful. Whichever you are willing to admit to wanting.
What I am saying is... the cupcakes are incredible. I needed to have the cupcakes in my life again. But instead of just taking new photos (which I am planning on doing eventually), I decided to see if it would work as a layered coffee flavored cake. It does. It really, really does.
It bakes up beautifully and is so irresistibly moist. When you slather whipped mocha ganache between the layers, the cake tastes downright sumptuous. The whipped mocha icing is just the perfect addition to the cake.
It's chocolate with delicious rich coffee undertones. Trust me when I say you will want to eat the icing by the spoonful. I might have done that a couple of times myself.
I use real, caffeinated coffee in both the cake and frosting. You can always use decaf if you want to share this coffee flavored cake with kids. Let's be honest though, it would be gone way before those tiny hands could get at it.
Just sayin'.
Now that my daughter is in kindergarten, I am realizing that for the first time in... forever, I have my days completely to myself to do whatever I want. It is almost overwhelming. As I type this, I am at my second coffeehouse (can you believe that when I started this blog I wasn't that into coffee?) and have been ordering things I don't have to share with someone else.
Later, I plan on going to a store and looking around. All without having a tiny person following behind me pointing out every little thing she wants now, for Christmas, and her birthday in April. After that, I might even go out to lunch at my favorite place that my kid hates so I haven't been there in years.
I can also have a huge slice of coffee flavored cake without any guilt or needing to make something special for her.
I can't believe I was really upset about her going to school.
Recipe Card
Coffee Flavored Cake with Whipped Mocha Icing
Ingredients
Coffee Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅔ cup instant espresso powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup milk room temperature
- 1 cup very strong brewed coffee please see notes
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
- 3 - 4 tablespoons heavy cream slightly warmed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 8" round cake pans.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, espresso powder, and sugar together. Stir to combine well.
- In a separate bowl, add the oil, milk, coffee, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk well until completely combined.
- Slowly dd the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in three batches, mixing gently between each addition.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the baking pans and bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
- Allow to cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Gently run a knife between the cake and pan, then gently remove and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
- Beat the soft butter for the icing until creamy. Add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add in the salt, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Stir well.
- Mix together the espresso and heavy cream together. Slowly drizzle the heavy cream mixture into the frosting until it reaches a creamy texture. Whisk on high speed for one minute.
- Cut the two cakes in half to make four even layers. Slather the whipped frosting on each layer of the cake and layer the cakes on top of each other. Run an offset spatula on the sides of the cake to smooth the icing on the sides.
Sherry says
Has anyone baked this cake in 3 layers? Did you make any changes?
Heather says
Wondering if the batter is supposed to be almost soup like? I’ve made many cakes, including fondant and butter cream, but my batter is not usually this runny. Thanks!
Amanda Powell says
It should be on the thinner side, but not completely liquidy
Sarah says
Can you freeze the cake (not the icing) to assemble for another day? If so, for how long do you think?
Amanda Powell says
Yes! I often freeze my cakes before I use them. If they're wrapped up well, they can last up to a month in the freezer, but I try not to go longer than a week, if possible.
Cat C says
I just tried this cake for my brother’s 65th birthday. It is fabulous. Not too sweet. Perfect for a brunch or breakfast cake. I substituted ground instant coffee for the espresso powder and the taste is earthy and spicy. Really so delightful.
Miranda says
The recipe says it yields 1 layer, but directions sound like more than one. Maybe two pans?
Miranda says
ALSO how noticeable is the cinnamon? I don’t like cinnamon at all, so I’m wondering if I could do without it, that is if it can be tasted in the cake?
Amanda Powell says
Hi! It is supposed to read "1 layer cake" as in its a single cake that has layers. If you do not like cinnamon, omit it!
Alyssa says
Hello! This cake looks divine and I can't wait to make it, but I have a tiny problem. I only have one 24cm cake pan (I think that's around 9.5 inches), so do you reckon I do 0.75x the amounts of the recipe to get a tall-ish cake, which I can then slice in half? What do you reckon/estimate in terms of the height and baking time based on your previous experiences? Sorry for all the questions but I am quite a novice baker...
Thank you so much for your help!
Amanda Powell says
Hi Alyssa,
I think there shouldn't be an issue of diving the amount of batter. The recipe should divide alright. How high are the sides of your pan? These cakes were baked in a pan that was about 8cm high, so I think to be on the safe side, the sides of your 24cm pan should be about 10-12cm high. As for the baking time, I am not entirely sure - converting baking times has never been my strong suit! I would start checking at around 35 mins and then every 5 mins after that (closer to ever 2-3 mins once you see it is very close to being done). Do you have any other pans, even if they aren't specifically cake pans? Even a 33x23cm pan that you may use for roasting? That may also work, and keep you closer to the original baking time. You could cut that in half and then split the layers for a 4-layer square (or rectangle, rather) cake.
Nina says
Hi, can i substitute the oil with butter?
Amanda Powell says
Melted butter might work
Kaitlyn says
I'm making a cake for a friend and they like coffee flavored ice cream, but they don't like anything sweet. How sweet is the cake and the frosting?
Kat says
The coffee icing is AMAZING- I don't even like coffee, but the chocolate and coffee flavours hit your tongue in layers, giving a rich and complex flavour.
The cake came out very moist and heavy- similar in texture to a banana bread. The espresso powder (I had instant coffee granules rather than a fine powder) did not dissolve in the cake batter- though this wasn't a dealbreaker, it still gave tiny pops of bitterness as you ate the cake. They weren't crunchy, which would have been really bad. In the future, I'll add them to the wet ingredients and whisk until they dissolve, rather than adding them to the dry ingredients.
I did not succeed in waiting for my cold milk or hot coffee to come to room temp, but adding them together got them close enough to lukewarm. This is likely what I'll add the instant coffee to.