Kahlua Cake With Mocha Buttercream

Name: Kahlua Cake with Mocha Buttercream
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 35 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1/2 cup water; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1 Tbsp espresso powder; 1/4 cup Kahlua coffee liqueur; 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 2 tsp baking powder; 3/4 tsp salt; 3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature); 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 3 large eggs (room temperature); 1 Tbsp Kahlua coffee liqueur; 1 cup buttermilk (room temperature); 5 large egg whites; 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar; 2 cups unsalted butter (room temperature); 3 Tbsp Kahlua coffee liqueur; 1 1/2 Tbsp espresso powder (not granules); 5 oz good quality dark chocolate (chopped, melted, cooled)

May 7, 2017 by Olivia 38 Comments

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This pretty Kahlua Cake is infused with coffee liqueur & espresso, and adorned with billowy mocha buttercream ruffles.

I can hardly believe we’re into May already. And it’s finally starting to feel like spring! We’re about 2 months behind here… After a crazy winter with ridiculous amounts of snow (for the West Coast) and the fact that it’s been completely dismal since September, Vancouvervites are dying for some sunshine and warm temps. Finally, FINALLY, we’re looking at multiple sunny days in a row and t-shirt weather.

The cake I’m bringing you today, on this sunny Sunday, is one I’ve been wanting to make for a while. I’m actually surprised I haven’t made anything with Kahlua yet for the blog — it’s a staple around here, just like Baileys, and we all know I have my fair share of Baileys recipes. It was time to let another delicious liqueur shine with this Kahlua Cake!

For the cake layers, I used my favourite vanilla cake recipe, except I used Kahlua instead of vanilla. You can use any coffee liqueur you like though, or stick with vanilla in the cake batter since there’s Kahlua in both the coffee soak (don’t skip this!) and the mocha buttercream.

The Kahlua coffee soak is a must-do, in my opinion. Really you could skip it, but it’s so easy to make and adds both flavour and moisture to the cake. After preparing the soak, I poked a bunch of holes (using bamboo skewers) into the warm cakes and brushed the soak onto each layer.

Next time, I’d probably wait till the cakes are cooled and trim off a very thin layer of the top to remove the “crust”. Then I’d brush the soak onto each layer. I feel like this would do a better job of penetrating through the cake. No matter which option you choose, don’t be shy with brushing the soak on!

This Kahlua Cake is finished off with my very favourite mocha buttercream. Honestly, this stuff is like crack. You’ll be eating it with a spoon for sure, and you’ll be very grateful for the leftovers (if there are any).

I wanted to try something a bit different with the decorating technique this time and (surprise, surprise!) I’m not totally happy with the way it turned out. The ruffles aren’t exactly difficult to do, but the challenge comes in as you try to get the rows perfectly even while your hand is getting tired and the buttercream is getting super soft in the piping bag you’ve been clutching onto. As such, the ruffles are a bit messy in parts, especially near the bottom (I started at the top).

I still think it looks pretty even though it’s not perfect, and most importantly it tastes DELICIOUS. You really can’t go wrong with the coffee + chocolate combo in my opinion.

Now, to do the ruffles, I used a large piping bag fitted with a large petal tip (Wilton #125). I started at the top of the cake, making sure that the first set of ruffles would peek over the top. I placed the thicker end of the tip against the cake at a 45 degree angle and piped the ruffles up and down as I spun my turntable. I repeated the process with subsequest rows, making sure to always start in the same place so that the “seams” would all be together at the back of the cake. All cakes have a “back” amiright?

Piping the ruffles gets more difficult as you work your way down for the reasons I mentioned:

Your hand is tired
Your buttercream is soft
The angle is more awkward

To try to combat the soft buttercream, you can use a smaller piping bag and just refill it more often. I am lazy and I find refilling a used piping bag to be one of the most annoying things in the world, so I try to pack as much as possible into a large piping bag. This is not the best thing to do, and I don’t recommend it, but again, I’m lazy. And my laziness has no doubt caused these imperfect ruffles! Oh well. It is what it is, and did I mention it tastes delicious??

If you are a coffee fan, you will love this Kahlua Cake!

Tips for this Kahlua Cake:

You can make this cake without coffee liqueur if you prefer. Just substitute vanilla for Kahlua in each recipe.
You can use vanilla in the cake batter instead of Kahlua if you prefer, since the soak and buttercream have Kahlua already. I did not find the flavour to be overly strong, though.
I recommend trimming/levelling the tops of the cake layers before brushing the soak on to get rid of the crust and help the soak, well, soak into the cake.
Be sure to use instant espresso powder (not granules) in the buttercream. Otherwise, dissolve the granules in 1 Tbsp hot water and let cool before adding to the frosting.
I used a large petal tip (Wilton #125) to make the ruffles.
If you’re a fan of boozy or coffee flavoured desserts, be sure to check out my Coffee & Baileys Cake, Mocha Chocolate Cake, and Baileys Cheesecake Cookie Cups!
Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.

This pretty Kahlua Cake is infused with coffee liqueur & espresso, and adorned with billowy mocha buttercream ruffles. | livforcake.com

5 from 7 votes