OMG. It’s the only three letters that are perfect to describe this delicious homemade cake. If you’re looking for a melt-in-your-mouth cake that is certain to take you by surprise, it’s time to make this Chocolate Espresso Cake with Mocha Mascarpone Frosting. I literally had no idea that it was going to turn out to be one of my most favorite cakes ever before I made it…but I can assure you that it is!
Chocolate Espresso Cake with Mocha Mascarpone Frosting
Have you ever taken a bite of something and just stood there never wanting that moment to end? This was my reaction the first time I tried this homemade chocolate cake. This recipe is actually from Bonappetit and I knew, when my friend Janice sent me the recipe, that it was something that I needed to make as soon as I possibly could.
The result is pure perfection. The entire process of baking this cake from start to finish was a simple one even though there are quite a few steps to it. I can’t even begin to describe in detail how delicious the homemade mascarpone frosting is. It’s one of those recipes that I truly want to save for a special occasion but I find myself wanting to make it all the time anyway!
Sometimes, when you find a cake recipe this good, every day is a special occasion and that’s perfectly okay!
Do you have to use instant coffee for this cake?
You do. The instant coffee was made to have the granules dissolve with liquid so it’s the perfect addition to this mocha cake. No one likes finding coffee grinds at the bottom of their coffee cup so there’s no way that you’re going to want to try to use regular coffee only to find grinds in your cake, right?
Just don’t do it. Stick to the instant coffee so that there’s no need to worry. If you’re not wanting to use the espresso strength for this recipe, that’s fine. You can always change out the strength or even flavoring of the coffee as long as you keep with the Instant.
Does this cake recipe have caffeine in it?
Oh yes, it does. And it’s delicious. But if you’re not wanting to have that extra caffeine, you can try to make a few alterations to take it down a notch. Try and substitute out the instant coffee for instant decaf and see if that makes a difference. That way you still get that coffee taste without the extra added dose of caffeine.
How do I store this cake once baked?
The easiest way to store this cake is to keep it in the fridge and keep all the air out. The beauty of this cake is that it’s moist and delicious but if you don’t store it properly, it’s going to become dried out quickly.
Find a container that offers enough space for the cake to sit in or cut it up and store it in pieces. Storing it in the fridge keeps it fresh as well and is really quite simple to do.
If you’re not a fan of eating fresh cake, you’ll just need to let it sit out on the counter for a short time to come to room temperature to enjoy. And if you find that you have more cake than you know what to do with, you can easily pop it in the freezer for later. (again, an air-tight seal is the key especially for keeping out the freezer burn!)
The next time that you’re craving a piece of chocolate cake, this is the one that you need to make. The texture and flavor of this cake, combined with the homemade frosting, are truly the perfect pair. I feel confident that you’re going to love every single bite of this Chocolate Cake with Mocha Mascarpone Frosting.
Try This Delicious Chocolate Espresso Cake with Mocha Mascarpone Frosting Today
Here are a few more delicious cake recipes that can be found on the blog:
- Dark Chocolate Banana Poke Cake
- Apple Pecan Cake with Caramel Glaze
- Cream Cheese Lemonade Poke Cake
- Chocolate Lover’s Zucchini Cake
Chocolate Cake with Mocha Mascarpone Frosting
Ingredients
For The Chocolate Espresso Cake
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup butter, (1½ sticks, room temperature)
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 tsp instant espresso coffee
- ¾ cup hot water
For The Mocha Mascarpone Frosting
- â…“ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp instant espresso coffee
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream, divided, chilled
- 1â…“ cups sugar
- (2) 8 oz containers mascarpone cheese, chilled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° and generously butter (2) 9 inch round cake pans and then lightly dust with flour. Cut parchment paper to fit and place in bottom of pan. Set aside.
For The Chocolate Espresso Cake
- Using a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together, set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixture until creamy then add brown sugar and beat for approximately 2 minutes until mixture is blended and smooth.
- Add eggs one at a time beating well between additions then add vanilla.
- Add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions, and beating just until blended after each addition.
- Heat water in microwave for 60 seconds, add instant espresso, stir until dissolved.
- Gradually add hot espresso mixture into cake batter beating until smooth.
- Pour batter equally into both cake pans and place on center rack in preheated 325° oven.
- Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool on rack for 15 minutes then run a knife along the edge to loosen up the cake.
- Invert cake on rack, remove parchment paper then invert cakes upright to cool completely.
For The Mocha Mascarpone Frosting
- In a large bowl, whisk cocoa powder and espresso together.
- Using a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of whipping cream to a boil.
- Slowly pour cream over the cocoa/espresso mixture whisking until dissolved completely.
- Add remaining whipping cream and sugar to cocoa mixture, stir until dissolved.
- Place in fridge for approximately 2 hours until chilled.
- Once chilled, add mascarpone to cocoa/espresso mixture.
- Beat on low speed until smooth then increase to medium high speed and beat until mixture is thick and medium-firm peaks form when beaters are lifted, about 2 minutes (DO NOT over beat otherwise the mixture will curdle).
- Before adding frosting, use a pastry brush and brush off any crumbs on the top and sides of each cake layer.
- Place first cake layer, top side up, and add a thin layer of frosting to start. Add more frosting and once desired thickness is obtained, add the second cake layer, top side up again.
- Continue to frost cake and top with chocolate curls, optional.
Notes
Here are a few pics that are the perfect size for pinning to Pinterest.
Enjoy, Terri
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Sounds delish! I would like to try this in a 13 x 9 pan. Thoughts?
Hi Ellie, definitely would make it and using a 13 x 9 pan would work. You will not need as much frosting though. :)