This Chocolate Mocha Cake is the ultimate indulgence. A rich dark chocolate cake with a silky mocha Swiss meringue buttercream.
This cake right here? It’s amazing. I mean, it knocked the Momofuku Birthday Cake right out of the #1 spot, and that was a damn good cake.
This Chocolate Mocha Cake is seriously. SO. GOOD.
Rich dark chocolate cake and a silky Mocha Swiss Meringue buttercream, topped with a dreamy chocolate ganache. Does it get any better? I don’t think so.
If you’ve been following Liv for Cake for a while, you know this is one of my oldest (and one of my favorite) recipes. If you haven’t tried it, you NEED to. You will not regret it.
The frosting is my favorite thing ever — you’ll be eating that with a spoon and thanking me later.
How to make this Mocha Cake
For the cake layers, I used my very favorite Chocolate Cake recipe modified slightly for the 6″ pans and I used hot coffee instead of hot water in the cake batter. You can’t really taste the coffee, maybe only slightly, but it does help the chocolate flavor stand out.
I like to use Dutch-process cocoa powder as it’s richer in flavor, but any regular cocoa powder will work just fine.
Mocha Buttercream
THIS, people, is honestly the best thing you’ll ever eat. Silky Swiss meringue buttercream with espresso and chocolate. It is pure heaven!
The recipe calls for instant espresso powder (not granules). This is a very fine powder and should dissolve perfectly into the buttercream.
Some people were having the issue of flecks of espresso powder in their buttercream because it didn’t dissolve fully. This may be due to the brand of espresso powder used. This is the brand I use and it works really well. However, I’ve updated the recipe to include dissolving the espresso powder first in 1 tsp of hot water. It’s optional though.
Can I use Regular Espresso Or regular Coffee?
No, you must use instant coffee that dissolves completely in water.
You could use regular instant coffee vs instant espresso powder, but you’d want to make it quite strong to match the flavor. I haven’t experimented with this myself, but it would really be totally fine. You can add more or less to your liking.
How to do a Drip Cake
I kept the cake decorating simple, as I wanted to do the drippy ganache technique. It’s surprisingly easy (I swear!), the key thing is to get your ganache to the right consistency which may require some trial and error.
Step #1 is to frost the cake evenly and smooth the sides and top. This is probably the most time intensive part if you want to get it perfect (which, obviously, I do).
I used a small offset spatula to roughly frost the cake and then a bench scraper to smooth everything out. This is the part that took the most time.
I had to patch some areas here and there, so it took a while to get it perfect. It really helps if you have a turntable to do this on, so that you can spin it while holding the bench scraper at an angle.
You don’t have to shell out a lot of money on a turntable, but I do not recommend getting a plastic one. They’re not super stable and don’t spin smoothly.
To get those smooth sides, you need a smooth spin! I use a lazy susan from Ikea that works great.
Once I got the top and sides mostly perfect, I popped the whole thing in the fridge and made the ganache.
Once the ganache cooled and thickened slightly, I took out the cold cake and used a teaspoon to drop dollops of ganache along the edges and let it drop down the sides.
I added more/less on certain areas to vary the drips a bit. You can also just pour a bunch of ganache on the top and use your offset spatula to nudge it over the sides, but I wanted a bit more control over the drips, and my research said that the spoon technique was a good approach.
I was worried that the ganache would harden quickly on the cold cake, but I had plenty of time to work with it. Once the drips were good, I poured a bit of ganache on the top to fill that in, and smoothed it with a small offset spatula.
This Swiss meringue buttercream gets very firm in the fridge (like butter does), so you’ll want to leave the cake out for a couple hours before serving so that it can soften up.
When I took photos and cut the cake, it was still hard, so you can see that it’s not totally silky smooth between the layers.
This Chocolate Mocha Cake is insanely good. Like, ridiculous. It is my all-time favorite cake!
I mean, just LOOK at that piece! The cake is dense, moist, and ultra chocolatey. The buttercream is silky, smooth, and has the BEST mocha flavor ever.
You will not be disappointed with this cake. I promise!
More Coffee Flavored Cake recipes
- White Chocolate Mocha Cake
- Kahlua Cake With Mocha Buttercream
- Vanilla Latte Cake
- Gingerbread Latte Cake
- Eggnog Latte Cake
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake
Notes & tips for this Chocolate Mocha Cake
- The recipe as-is will also work in two 8″ pans. For three 8″ pans, 1.5x the recipe.
- To make cupcakes, all you need to do is reduce the baking time — start checking at 15mins or so.
- You can use regular cocoa powder if you don’t have Dutch-process.
- For the frosting, the coffee you use must be instant. See post for more details.
- For the ganache, I let mine set overnight (with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface). It will be too thick at this point, so I microwave it for 10 secs and stir it until it’s the right consistency.
- The drip technique works best on a chilled cake so that the drips set quickly.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- Learn how to keep your cakes moist using Simple Syrup.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, check out my How to Bake Flat Cake Layers post!
Mocha Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee hot
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Mocha Buttercream:
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature, cubed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 tsp hot water, cooled
- 3 oz dark chocolate chopped, melted, and cooled
Ganache Drip:
- 3 oz dark chocolate
- 3 oz heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F, grease three 6″ round baking pans and dust with cocoa powder. Line bottoms with parchment.
- Place all dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl whisk all wet ingredients (pour coffee in slowly as not to cook the eggs if very hot).
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix on medium for 2-3 mins. Batter will be very thin.
- Pour evenly into prepared pans. I used a kitchen scale to ensure the batter is evenly distributed.
- Bake until a cake tester comes out mostly clean. A total of 30-35mins.
Mocha Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
- Place bowl over a pot with 1-2" of simmering water and stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch or reads 160F on a candy thermometer (about 3mins).
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins))
- Switch to paddle attachment (optional). Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.
- Add vanilla, melted chocolate, and espresso powder. Whip until smooth.**
Ganache Drip:
- Finely chop chocolate and place into a bowl. Bring cream just barely to a simmer and pour over chopped chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand 2 mins. Stir gently with a spatula until combined and smooth. Allow to cool and thicken slightly before using on cake.***
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with approximately 2/3 cup of frosting and spread evenly. Repeat with remaining layers and apply a thin coat of frosting all over the cake. Chill for 20mins.
- Frost and smooth the sides. Chill for 20mins.
- Using a small spoon, place dollops of ganache around the top edges of the cooled cake, allowing some to drip down. Fill in the top of the cake with more ganache and spread evenly with an offset spatula.
Notes
** The buttercream may look like it’s curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth.
*** You can make the ganache in advance and let it set overnight (with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface). It will be too thick at this point, so I microwave it for 5-10 secs and stir it until it’s the right consistency.
Originally published Aug 23, 2015
Rachel says
hmm why only 3 egg whites? I recently made your peanut butter SMBC and it used 5 egg whites – that was also a 3 layer frosted cake. Just curious! I am going to make this one tomorrow for my MIL’s bday! Thanks!!
Olivia says
Hi Rachel! This one makes just enough to fill and frost the cake as you see here. No extra buttercream for decorations. If you’d like to make more you can scale the recipe up 🙂
jamie says
hello,
I have two 7” tins that are 1.5″ tall how would I adjust the recipe? thanks
Olivia says
Hi Jamie! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
I would probably 2/3 the recipe for two 7×1.5″ pans. Baking time may need to be adjusted.
Jamie says
Thank you!
Harjyot says
Hi, I was going to make this cake for Friday. Can I make the cakes a day before, and assemble the cake the next day? Also, how do I store the cakes before I assemble them? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Harjyot! You sure can. If just a day before you can wrap them in plastic wrap and store them on the counter or in the fridge. I like to do fridge as I find cold cakes easier to frost.
Patricia López says
What about if it’s longer than a Day?
Olivia says
Hi Patricia! If longer I would pop them into the freezer. They’ll keep for 3 months or so.
Manjula says
Hi
I’m going to make this awesome cake tomorrow, just wondering If I can make the Swiss meringue butter cream and leave it in the fridge to do the icing the day after .
Thank you
Olivia says
Hi Manjula! If just overnight you can leave it on the counter. Otherwise you can refrigerate it but you’ll need to bring it to room temperature and rewhip. Be sure it’s completely at room temp or it will curdle. See this post for tips: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Emily says
Hi there! This looks delicious and I plan on making it this week, I was wondering how to adapt your american buttercream recipe for the mocha flavour? I am running low on eggs and Ontario has a stay at home order in place so trying to work with what I have on hand. Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Emily! You can use this recipe here and simply add instant espresso powder to it: https://livforcake.com/birthday-cake-recipe/ American buttercream is quite forgiving so you can play around with the amount of cocoa powder and espresso powder you use. I would just start with adding the espresso powder (1 Tbsp instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 tsp hot water, cooled) and then just add enough cocoa powder until you like the flavour. I wouldn’t add the milk until the very end and only if you need to to thin out the buttercream.
Emily says
Thank you so much! Can’t wait to make this tomorrow!
Amelia says
This is really good! I made it last night and the family really loved it. I reduced the butter in the buttercream to just 1 cup and it turned out fine, still enough to fill and cover 2 layer 8” cake. It’s light and not too sweet. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Olivia says
Hi Amelia! So happy you loved it. Thanks for your tips!
Elizabeth says
Can anyone please tell me if this cake needs to be refrigerated?? I’m making it today and serving tomorrow and need to know ASAP.
Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Elizabeth! It will be fine at room temperature for a couple days. I like to refrigerate my cakes though and then take them out 2-3 hours before serving to come to room temperature. This is especially important if you plan to transport it. If not then room temp is fine.
Nicole says
Hi Liv, this looks amazing! Just wondered if there is enough icing to do some swirls or rope on the top? If not, how do I up quantities to do that? Thanks so much!
Olivia says
Hi Nicole! I would make a larger batch of frosting for that to make sure you have enough. I’d try adjusting the Servings to 16 and using those amounts for the frosting.
Nicole says
What a helpful feature on your site! Making it now, thank you!
Angie says
Hi!
How thick are the pans being used? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Angie! They are 2″ tall, but 3″ will work too 🙂
Pamela says
Hi Liv,
To make the cake batter I used a scale to measure all the dry and liquid ingredients, however, my batter wasn’t “thin”. It was actually very thick. I added a little more coffee to thin it out a bit. Why did my batter come out this? Thanks.
Olivia says
Hi Pamela! Did you use the metric conversion tool at the bottom of the ingredients? The batter should be very thin and watery.
Pamela says
Hi Liv,
No, I didn’t use the metric conversion tool. The cake turned out great. My husband loved it. Only thing, we thought the meringue tasted too buttery. Perhaps we can reduce how much butter to add next time? Still, for my first cake made from scratch, it was terrific. Thank you. ☺️
Olivia says
Hi Pamela! So happy you loved it 🙂 The buttercream shouldn’t taste too buttery. Take a look at this post for all my tips regarding that: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/ But yes, you could reduce the butter by 1/2 cup too!
Anna says
Hi Liv,
I am going to try this recipe for a small group on New Years eve this week! I had a couple questions.
1. I have 2 9″ round pans (height is 1.5″) should I 1.5x the ingredients or do you think it would be okay to follow the recipe as is?
2. If I made this with the 3 6″ rounds like you did, is it difficult to cut 10-12 slices?
3. I’m a little nervous to make this meringue buttercream especially because it’s my first time and I’ll be using a handheld mixer. Do you think I should attempt a different type of frosting and do you have any suggestions?
Thank you so much!
Olivia says
Hi Anna! I would definitely increase the recipe for two 9″ pans. Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
I think 1.5x is a good idea.
A three-layer 6″ cake gives 12 generous slices. It’s harder to cut in general than a 2 layer cake due to the height, but I don’t find it difficult. It’s easier to cut if the cake is cold and the knife is hot.
Meringue buttercream goes so well here but it is trickier with a hand mixer. Totally doable, will just take more time. Here’s a detailed tutorial: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Other buttercreams that would work well are Ermine, German, and American. You can find them all here:
https://livforcake.com/category/frostings-fillings/
Angie says
Hi Liv
Just wonder if my cake turn out right. I bake it in 2 8” pan but it’s only 1-1 1/2 thick after baking. Is this normal or it didn’t rise at all? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Angie! That sounds right! The cakes are about 2″ tall in 6″ round pans but will be slightly thinner in two 8″ pans. The cake batter rises a lot, it should double in size.
Angie says
I see. Thanks again. I’m going to frost the cake after work and will let u know the outcome. 😁
Angei says
Btw, how thick are your 6” pans? Ty
Olivia says
They are 2″ tall, but 3″ will work too 🙂
Marla says
This is best cake I’ve ever eaten, hands down. OMG!
Olivia says
Hi Marla! So glad you loved it 🙂
Jarin Tasnim says
Hey, should the coffee be hot or cold when adding to the mixture?
Olivia says
Hi Jarin! It should be hot.
Pamela says
Could I add some powdered espresso to the cake to give it more flavour? If yes, how much and how do I incorporate it? If not, no worries as I’m still going to make it. Thank you.
Olivia says
Hi Pamela! You can if you like but there is already coffee in the cake batter. You could add 2 Tbsp of espresso powder (make sure it’s instant) if you want a stronger coffee flavour.
Jane says
One of the best cakes I’ve ever had the pleasure of making. Stunningly beautiful and unbelievably delicious. I’ve made it 3-4 times and it’s turned out perfectly each time.
Olivia says
Hi Jane! So happy you loved this one. It’s one of my favourites too!
She says
Hi Liv. I’m keen to find out if a coffee syrup can be used for the cake layers? If yes would you happened to have a recipe for it?
Thanks for all the yummy delicious cake recipes.
Olivia says
Hi She! You can definitely use coffee syrup for more flavour. I have a recipe for simple syrup here that you can add 1-2Tbsp or instant espresso powder or instant coffee too: https://livforcake.com/simple-syrup-recipe/
Rukhsana says
Thank you for responding to me. I had 2 more questions.
1. Can I make the cake layers ahead and keep them refrigerated until ready to be frosted? How many days can u bake ahead
2. Can I half this recipe for 3 layers 4 inch cake?
Olivia says
Hi Rukhsana! Yes to both. If it’s just a day in advance you can leave the cake layers at room temp (wrapped/covered in plastic wrap). Otherwise, cool the layers, double wrap in plastic wrap, freeze for up to 3 months. Take out 2-3 hours before assembly.
Rukhsana says
Thank you so much for your prompt response 🙂 my friend will be so delighted i can make this into 4 inch 3 layers as she lives alone and 6 inch 3 layers would be quite a lot for her.
Rukhsana says
Hey really keen to try this out 🙂 I was wondering if you could tell me the cocoa % in the dark chocolate for the frosting?
Also if I were to replace dark choc by cocoa powder in the frosting how much gram / tablespoon should I add?
Thank you
Olivia says
Hi Rukhsana! I think the one I used was somewhere around 65-70%. To replace it with cocoa powder, just add as much as you like, 1 Tbsp at a time, until it reaches the flavour you like.
Ashleigh says
Would this frosting colour well, with gel colouring?
Olivia says
Hi Ashleigh! For colored frosting, it’s best to start with a white base. The chocolate and espresso will give the frosting a brown tint like you see in the photos so adding color could create a mucky hue. But otherwise, yes, you can use gel coloring with this type of frosting.
Varsha says
I see many cakers achieve really tall cake with 6 inch 3 layers but each layer is quite thick! If I wanted to do that.. how much would I need to multiply this recipe by? Would it work to just double and put double the amount of batter in each layer? If yes, how long would I need to cook that for approximately? P.S. love your cakes
Olivia says
Hi Varsha! The cake layers in this recipe and photo are 1.5″ to 2″ thick. How much taller are you wanting them and how tall ar your pans?
MInette says
Hi. Will this work also to a 9inch pan? I have three 9inch pan with 2inch height. My birthday is coming on weekend and I so want this to bake! Thank you.
Olivia says
Hi Minette! You would have to make adjustments for 9″ pans. Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
You could double the recipe and try it in two 9″. Don’t fill the pans more than half full as the batter rises a lot.