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.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Lockrem Homestead
Equipment
- kitchen scale
- large mixing bowl
- measuring spoons
- 9x13 baking dish
- saucepan
- offset spatula
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 219 g all-purpose flour 1 ¾ cup
- 90 g natural cocoa powder, sometimes called unsweetened cocoa powder ¾ cup
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 400 g sugar 2 cups
- 100 g (unrefined) coconut oil, melt and then measure ½ cup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 113 g buttermilk 1 cup
- 2 tbsp espresso powder
- 240 g hot water 1 cup
Espresso Buttercream Frosting
- 226 g unsalted butter 1 cup/ 2 sticks
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp espresso powder
- 175 g dark chocolate (chips or a bar of chocolate, chopped) 1 cup
- 125 g powdered sugar 1¼ cup sugar
Instructions
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 (1/2 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 3/4 cup) flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, and 90 g (3/4 cup) cocoa powder into a separate bowl.
- Tip: Sift the dry ingredients to break up the tiny clumps of cocoa powder. Use a wire mesh strainer if you don't own a sifter.
- Add the 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 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 and tastes like fudge. (This is my kids preferred way to enjoy this cake!)
- Allow the cake to warm up at room temperature for an hour so the frosting becomes soft before eating.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so it should only be used as an approximation.
Nutrition
Calories: 405.1kcalCarbohydrates: 59.3gProtein: 4.3gFat: 17.4gSaturated Fat: 10.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4.7gTrans Fat: 0.6gCholesterol: 103.3mgSodium: 443.3mgPotassium: 101.8mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 44.1gVitamin A: 574.1IUCalcium: 48.9mgIron: 1.2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
