The Best Chocolate Espresso Cake Recipe

This is the best chocolate espresso cake recipe! A soft and moist fudgy chocolate cake flavored with espresso powder and an extra creamy butter frosting that’s perfect for all chocolate lovers.

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I’ve been making this cake as my go-to birthday cake for the better part of 15 years. 

It all started when I went to a local cafe after my sister’s wedding dress fitting. It was a new spot with some great soups, salads, and sandwiches made with whole ingredients. At the end of the meal, one of the women came back to the table with a large piece of chocolate cake and a half a dozen forks. Oh. My. Word! It was the best chocolate cake I’d ever eaten before. 

The rest of that summer was spent trying to recreate it. This espresso chocolate cake recipe is my version of that cake.

The addition of espresso powder to any chocolate cake recipe enhances the flavor of chocolate without detecting the coffee flavor. However, this recipe leans into the espresso flavor for a dynamic coffee and chocolate duo.

Why You’ll Love This Decadent Chocolate Espresso Cake

• Flavor – Chocolate AND espresso? I don’t need much more convincing than that. But really, this rich chocolate cake is loaded with chocolate flavor and is perfect for any chocolate lovers. The addition of espresso adds depth and brings out the chocolate flavor. Being a coffee lover, I can’t think of a more perfect combination.
• Versatile – This cake bakes beautifully in whatever shape you want. A sheet pan makes it easy to feed a crowd, while you can use two round cake pans to create a layer cake to show off the layers of rich espresso chocolate cake as it is cut. 
• ​Easy – Instant espresso powder makes it easy to add the espresso flavor without needing to brew espresso shots.

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The Best Chocolate Cake With Espresso Powder Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• Flour – No need for specialty flours, this cake bakes up beautifully with all-purpose flour. 
• Cocoa – Use natural or unsweetened cocoa powder.
• Baking soda – Reacts with the buttermilk and helps leavens the cake.
• Baking Powder – A second leavening agent with two reactions. The first one happening when it comes into contact with wet ingredients, and the other when exposed to high heat.
• Salt – Adds flavor to baked goods and balances out the sweetness.

Wet Ingredients

• Sugar – Like all tasty sweets, sugar sweetens this cake and contributes to its moistness. 
• Coconut oil – I use unrefined coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. You can’t taste the coconut flavor in the cake, but you can always use refined coconut oil if you’re hesitant.
• Eggs – Allow the eggs to come to room temperature for easy mixing.
• Buttermilk – Provides the acidity needed to react with the baking soda. 
• Vanilla extract – Flavors the cake and adds another layer of depth. 
• Espresso powder – Coffee flavor enhances the chocolate flavor, making it taste more chocolatey than without it. 

Espresso Buttercream Ingredients

• Butter – Unsalted butter is the base of the espresso buttercream frosting. Allow to come to room temperature for easy creaming. 
• Chocolate—I like to use dark chocolate to create a not-so-sweet frosting to balance the cake’s sweetness. If you want a sweeter frosting, use semi-sweet chocolate. Use either chocolate chips or a chocolate bar, I’ve done both with great results.
• Vanilla extract – A splash for depth of flavor.
• Espresso powder – Adding espresso powder brings the coffee flavor to the frosting that makes the chocolate cake taste scrumptious.
• Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar, sometimes referred to as confectioner’s sugar, sweetens and thickens the frosting.

How To Make Chocolate Espresso Cake

Prep

Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.

Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment paper. 

Melt the coconut until it’s liquid and then measure. 

Add 2 tbsp of espresso powder to 1 cup of hot water and stir to dissolve. Set aside to cool.

Mix

Add 100g (½ cup) coconut oil, 227 g (1 cup) buttermilk, 3 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 400 g (2 cups) sugar to a large bowl and whisk to mix.

Sift 219 g (1 ¾ cup) flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, and 90 g (¾ cup) cocoa powder into a separate bowl.

Tip: Sift the dry ingredients to break up the tiny clumps of cocoa powder, otherwise the clumps will remain in the batter if you skip this step. Use a wire mesh strainer if you don’t own a sifter.

​Add the sifted dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Add the cup of espresso and stir until just combined. 

Bake

​Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.

​Since all ovens vary, start checking the cake around the 25 minute mark. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Place the baking pan on a wire rack and cool completely.

How To Make Espresso Buttercream Frosting

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Place a small pan filled with 2 inches of water on the stove over medium heat.

Add 175 g (1 cup) chocolate chips to a heat-proof bowl and place on top of the pan, stirring as they melt. If you’re using a chocolate bar, break it into pieces before adding it to a bowl.

As the water heats up, the steam will heat the bowl, causing the chocolate to melt. Remove the bowl from the pan when half of the chocolate is melted and continue stirring until all of the chocolate is smooth. Set aside to cool. 

Add the unsalted butter to a large mixing bowl and whip with a hand mixer on low speed, gradually increasing to medium speed, for 5 minutes. The butter will become light and fluffy. Add 1 large egg yolk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 tbsp espresso powder and beat for an additional 3 minutes. 

Stir the melted chocolate into the whipped butter until it’s fully combined. Next, add  125 g (1 ¼ cups) powdered sugar and mix well to combine. 

Once the cake is completely cool, spoon the frosting across the top of the cake. Spread the frosting over the entire cake in an even layer using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.

Store 

Transfer any leftover cake to an airtight container and refrigerate due to the egg yolk in the frosting. The frosting will become hard once it’s cold. (Eating the cake straight from the fridge is my kids’ preferred way to enjoy this cake! They love the chocolate frosting once it’s firm!)

Allow the cake to warm up at room temperature for an hour so the frosting becomes soft before eating.

Tips

• Use room temperature ingredients – Take the eggs, butter, and buttermilk out of the refrigerator an hour before you plan to mix the cake batter to give the ingredients time to warm up to room temperature. Mixing room temperature ingredients isn’t only easier, but the ingredients also incorporate fully and hold more air. More air means a lighter, fluffier baked good.
• Use a kitchen scale for accurate measurements. Baking is a science and accuracy matters. This will give you consistent results. 
• Use quality chocolate – The chocolate is the star of this cake so you want to make sure you start with high-quality, great-tasting chocolate. I love Ghirardelli chocolate.

Variations

• Add Chocolate Chips – To create an espresso chocolate chip cake, stir a cup of mini chocolate chips into the flour mixture and continue as directed. They’ll melt to create tiny pockets of chocolate in every bite.
• Layered Cake – While I love the simplicity of baking a sheet cake, some occasions call for something a bit fancier. Divide the cake batter into two parchment-lined 8-inch round cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool before removing from the cake pans. Layer and decorate the cakes with the espresso buttercream frosting.

FAQs

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