Coffee Flavored Cake with Whipped Mocha Ganache

A moist and flavorful coffee flavored cake with a rich whipped mocha ganache. 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. And don’t let “whipped mocha ganache” scare you. It is super easy to make. Easier than buttercream, if you ask me!

All you do is heat some heavy cream, add chocolate and instant espresso, stir, chill, then whip. It turns light and airy and rich and yeah, you will want to eat it by the spoonful too. Tip: take your time melting the chocolate with the cream to reduce graininess.

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.

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Coffee Flavored Cake with Whipped Mocha Ganache

Prep 55 mins

Cook 30 mins

Total 1 hour, 25 mins

Author Amanda Powell

Yield 1 layer cake

A rich and moist coffee flavored cake that tastes just like your favorite cup of coffee in cake form. Finished with a mocha ganache for a truly decadent treat.

Ingredients

Coffee Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (if using fresh nutmeg, cut in half)
• 1/4 cup instant espresso powder
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• 1 cup room temperature strong brewed coffee (I recommend cold brew)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Whipped Mocha Ganache

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 - 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder (depending on the intensity you like)
• pinch of salt
• 16 oz semisweet chocolate

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8" round cake pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, espresso powder, and sugar together. Stir to combine well.
3. In a separate bowl, add the oil, milk, coffee, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk well until completely combined.
4. Slowly dd the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in three batches, mixing gently between each addition.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Heat the heavy cream, espresso powder, and salt in a saucepan until it is starts to boil. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then stir to melt the chocolate and combine with the cream. Do not stir until after the 10 minutes or else the frosting will end up grainy! Chill in the refrigerator until completely chilled. (At least 3 hours, preferably overnight.) Stir the ganache every 10 minutes as it cools for the first hour for the best results. 
8. Pour the ganache in a mixer and whisk on medium-high until nearly doubled in volume and light in color. Be careful not to over mix as this can also make the ganache grainy. You want to stop once the ganache starts to hold its own form, it will continue to thicken on its own over time.
9. Cut the two cakes in half to make four even layers. Slather the whipped ganache 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 ganache on the sides.