Mocha Cake – perfect for Halloween

What is a Mocha cake?

Well, my friends, it is a heavenly creation that combines the best of both worlds: chocolate and coffee. A mocha cake is a moist and fluffy chocolate cake that is infused with coffee, filled with a rich and creamy coffee buttercream and drizzled in a chocolate ganache! It is the perfect treat for any occasion, but this one would be a great adult Halloween party dessert .

Mocha cake is easy to make and even easier to eat. You do not need to have great cake decorating skills to make this cake as you simply drizzle chocolate ganache down the sides of each cake layer! The messier the better!

Tips for making this easy Mocha cake?

• Use good quality coffee. You can use instant coffee granules, but I recommend using freshly brewed espresso for a richer flavor. You can also adjust the amount of coffee according to your preference. Some people like a strong mocha taste, while others prefer a subtle hint.
• Use unsweetened cocoa powder. This will give your cake a deep chocolate color and flavor, without adding too much sweetness.
• Don’t overmix the batter. This is a common mistake that can result in a tough and dense cake. You want to mix the dry and wet ingredients just until they are combined, without overworking the gluten in the flour. A few lumps are okay, they will disappear during baking.
• Bake the cake in a preheated oven. This will ensure that your cake rises evenly and doesn’t sink in the middle. You can use a toothpick or a skewer to check for doneness. The cake is ready when it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
• Drizzle the chocolate ganache before it completely cools and hardens so it’s the perfect consistency to run down the sides of the cake. To be clear, the ganache should not be hot otherwise it will melt the buttercream!

I hope you enjoyed these tips for making a mocha cake. If you try this recipe, let me know how it turned out in the comments below. Happy baking!

If you love this Mocha cake recipe, check these out…

• Pumpkin Nutella stuffed buns
• Chocolate mud cake
• Salted caramel Matilda cake

Print

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.1/5

( 7 voted )

Ingredients

Chocolate sponge cake

• 60g cocoa powder
• 120ml hot water
• 3 eggs
• 170g self raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 100g  butter
• 280g caster sugar
• 1tbsp vanilla extract
• 1tbsp coffee granules

Coffee buttercream

• 150g salted butter
• 300g icing sugar/powdered sugar
• 1tbsp vanilla extract
• 3tbsp coffee granules

Chocolate ganache

• 180g dark chocolate
• 180ml double cream
• 1tbsp golden syrup

Instructions

Mocha cake

1. Cream the room temperate butter and sugar together, then add the eggs, vanilla extract, half the flour and baking powder. Mix until combined. then add the remaining flour.
2. Pour 120ml hot water over the cocoa powder and coffee granules stir until combined. Stir into the cake batter.
3. Line 3 x 6"cake tins, bake the cakes for 15mins at 170c.

Coffee buttercream

1. Cream the room temperature butter in a bowl, add the icing sugar in stages.
2. pour hot water over the coffee granules, mix until combined then stir into the buttercream.

Chocolate ganache

1. Add the chocolate and cream in a bowl, microwave until the chocolate is soft, 20 seconds at a time.
2. Let the chocolate continue to melt in the cream, for a few minutes, then stir gently until combined.

Assemble

1. Cut the domes off the top of each cake, then drizzle the chocolate ganache down the sides of each cake layer, alternating the buttercream in between.
2. Turn the top cake layer upside down and place on top of the second buttercream layer.
3.  Drizzle chocolate ganache all over the top and down the sides.