Coffee Chocolate Cake
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This coffee chocolate cake is covered in the best coffee buttercream! It’s the perfect cake for both chocolate lovers and coffee lovers. Plus, you can easily make this chocolate coffee cake dairy-free so it’s great if you have food allergies.
I think we all know that I’m a huge chocolate cake lover! From my chocolate hazelnut cake to my chocolate biscoff cake, I am always up for making (and eating!) a chocolate cake.
This espresso chocolate cake gets all of its coffee flavor from a combo of brewed coffee and instant espresso powder, so it really packs a punch.
Why You’ll Love This Coffee Chocolate Cake
- I’m using simple pantry ingredients for this coffee chocolate cake, nothing too fancy here!
- You don’t need a mixer to make the cake, just a bowl and a whisk.
- Thanks to brewed coffee and instant espresso powder, there’s tons of coffee flavor.
- The chocolate cake is super moist thanks to using a neutral oil, keeping it soft and fluffy for days.
Ingredients Needed
- Butter: you can use regular butter or vegan butter if you’re dairy-free.
- Instant Espresso Powder: make sure to use instant espresso powder and not just espresso powder! Instant has a much stronger coffee flavor.
- Brewed Coffee: you can use regular or decaf coffee.
- Oil: make sure to use a neutral oil like sunflower oil or canola oil. This is going to make the cake super soft.
- Cocoa Powder: I’m using dutch processed cocoa powder but you can use natural cocoa powder in a pinch.
- Milk: feel free to use regular milk or dairy-free milk.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°Fahrenheit and prepare three 8-inch round cake pans. Spray them with cooking spray then line them with round pieces of parchment paper.
Step 2: Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.
Step 3: Add the eggs, vanilla extract, oil and milk. Pour in the hot coffee and mix until smooth.
Step 4: Divide the cake batter evenly between the three cake pans and bake in the preheated oven for 20-26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Step 5: Let the cakes cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Step 6: Once the cake has cooled, make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter until smooth.
Step 7: Add the espresso powder, vanilla extract, and the icing sugar, a ¼ cup of a time until you have your desired consistency. If the buttercream is too thick, add in milk or brewed coffee one tablespoon at a time. If the frosting is too thin, add in more icing sugar a ¼ cup at a time.
Step 8: Frost your cooled cake and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- I always recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh out your flour and cocoa powder. It’s really easy to add too much if you use measuring cups, which is going to make the chocolate cake dry. Don’t have a kitchen scale? Make sure to use the scoop and level method to weigh out your flour and cocoa powder!
- Don’t skip out on lining the bottom of the cake pans with parchment paper, otherwise, it’ll be difficult to take the cakes out of the pan!
- Make sure the cake layers have cooled completely before you frost and assemble the cake. The frosting will melt off if the cake is warm!
- You can still make this cake if you have 9-inch cake pans. The cake layers will be thinner and they won’t need as much time in the oven, I recommend checking on them at 14 minutes.
Storage Instructions
Cover the cake at room temperature for 3-4 days.
To freeze the cake layers, let them cool completely and then tightly wrap them in plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze in ziploc bags for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature. Store any leftover buttercream in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let it thaw in the fridge then mix with a handheld mixer or standing mixer before using.
More Recipes You’ll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Coffee Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2¼ cups (281 g) all-purpose flour
- 1¾ cup +2 Tablespoons cup (375 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2¼ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- 1 cup +2 Tablespoons (97 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 eggs
- 1½ cup (337 ml) hot brewed coffee
- ¾ cup (161 ml) canola oil (or sunflower oil)
- ¾ cup (188 ml) milk of choice, (regular or dairy free)
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
Coffee Buttercream
- 1¾ cup (368) butter, softened, (regular or dairy free) SEE NOTES
- 3½-4 cup (420 g) icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp instant espresso powder
- 1-2 Tablespoons milk of choice or brewed coffee, ONLY AS NEEDED
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare three 8 inch round cake pans. Spray the inside with cooking spray, then cut round pieces of parchment paper so that they fit in the bottom of each pan (do not skip the parchment paper lining!)
- Whisk flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda together in a large bowl.
- Add in the eggs, vanilla, oil, and milk. Pour in the hot coffee and mix until smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then run a butter knife around the outside of the cake to loosen it from the pan and flip upside down onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the buttercream. In the bowl of a standing mixer or handheld mixer, beat butter until smooth. If using shortening, mix with the butter until combined.
- Add in the vanilla extract, espresso powder, then add the icing sugar, 1/4 cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. If the buttercream is too thick, add in milk or brewed coffee 1 tablespoon at a time to thin it out to the consistency you want. If it's too thin, add in more confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) 1/4 cup at a time.
- Once the cakes have cooled completely, assemble and enjoy!
Video
Notes
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Photography by: Callan from The Cozy Plum
Perfect and delicious!!
I made this for my daughter-in-laws birthday. Everyone loved it. She sent me the tecipe ad a request to make it. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!
Thank you Andrea!
My husband loved this cake! He’s a coffee lover so this was a big hit! Can’t wait to try some more of your recipes.
So happy to hear this! Thank you Jennifer!
Soo delicious. Thanks for the recipe. Exactly as is.
Turned out perfect! Exactly as as described. The coffee butter cream icing is decadently delicious!!
So happy to hear you enjoyed this Linda! Thank you for your review!
Having made (several times) and wolfed down (*every* time) your Gabby’s Double Chocolate Espresso Toffee Oreo (No Chill) Cookies (or whatever their real name is before I changed it on my computer), I can’t wait to make this cake (into the batter of which I shall surely pour a cup of TJ’s chocolate covered espresso beans!) But I’m not allowed to use more than 1 cake pan per project, so I’m wondering if this recipe would fit some square or rectangular pan nicely. And if so, if you’d be kind enough to let me know which size to try? Thank you, Gabby, for your continuous treasure trove of lovely recipes than even I can successfully put together!
Unfortunately it won’t! It’s a bit too much batter to fit into a 9×13 since its a 3 layer recipe.