Mocha Cake

5 from 2 votes

A delicious light and fluffy coffee chiffon cake. Covered and filled with delicious stabilized mocha buttercream frosting.

Prep Time45

Cook Time25

chilling30

Total Time1 40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chiffon cake, mocha buttercream, Mocha cake, Mocha chiffon cake

Servings:

Calories: 578kcal

Author: Maricel

Equipment

stand mixer or electric hand mixer
3 of 8" x 3" round pans

Ingredients

Wet ingredients

6 egg yolks at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup vegetable oil
½ cup milk or water or coffee
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Coffee mixture for wet ingredients

1 ½ tbsp coffee granules or espresso
½ tsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp hot water

Dry ingredients

214 g cake flour 1 ½ cup sifted
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

Meringue Ingredients

6 egg whites at room temperature
¼ tsp cream of tartar
¾ cup granulated sugar

Mocha Buttercream Frosting Ingredients

300 g unsalted butter softened
200 g shortening or just use butter
250 g powdered sugar or 2 to 4 cups adjust to your preferred sweetness and consistency
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp heavy cream or 1/2 cup whipped cream
1 to 2 tbsp coffee granules or espresso to taste
1 to 2 tbsp hot water
1 tsp cocoa powder
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp Meringue powder Optional- to stabilize the frosting longer at room temperature

For chocolate 2 numbers 3 "1/2

2 toothpicks
50 g semi-sweet chocolate
2 tbsp coarse sugar

Chocolate Ganache

100 g semi-sweet chocolate
3 to 4 tbsp heavy cream or evaporated milk
¼ tsp coffee granules

Optional garnish

8 Chocolate chips
⅓ cup toasted almonds slivered

US Customary - metric

Instructions

Prepare the baking pans

Cut 9" x 9" parchment paper or slightly bigger than the baking pans. Fold the parchment paper into half, then half again. Fold into a triangle then fold into half a triangle. Invert the pan and place the folded pointed triangle on top of the middle pan. Hold and cut the folded parchment paper on the edge of the pan.
Grease the inside bottom of the baking pans. Unfold the cut parchment paper and place it inside the greased baking pans.

Prepare the dry ingredients

Measure, spoon and level or weigh the sifted cake flour. Add the salt and baking powder into the cake flour. Sift and mix until well combined.

Prepare the wet ingredients

Dissolve the coffee granules and cocoa powder in hot water. Set aside and let it cool.
In a large bowl add all the wet ingredients and coffee mixture. Mix until blended.
Add the sifted dry ingredients to wet ingredients in four additions to avoid lumps and over mixing. Mix until smooth.

Prepare the Meringue

In a stand mixer bowl. Beat the room temperature egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed while gradually add sugar until stiff peaks.

Prepare the cake batter

Add the meringue to the cake batter in four additions. Use a spatula or scraper and scoop the meringue and add to the cake batter mixture. Do a scraping motion. Scrape around the bowl and move the spatula on the middle down the bottom of the bowl. Like cutting a cake batter, scrape, cut, and fold until no streaks of cake batter.
Divide and pour the cake batter into the 3 round pans lined with parchment paper. Tap to release some big air bubbles in the cake.
Bake in preheated oven to 325°F for 20 to 22 minutes or until the toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan on a cooling rack.

Prepare the stabilized buttercream frosting

Dissolve the coffee granules and cocoa powder in hot water. Set aside and let it cool.
Beat the softened butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add the cooled coffee mixture, beat on medium-high speed.
Add the powdered sugar gradually alternately with the heavy whipping cream or whipped cream. Add salt and optional meringue powder. Add more powdered sugar to your preferred sweetness and consistency.

Frosting the cake

Trim the cake if needed and transfer the chiffon cake to a serving cake. Add the frosting to the cake and spread evenly. Repeat on the next two layers.
Add the rest of the frosting in a large piping bag with the icing nozzle. Squeeze the piping bag around the cake, start at the bottom or top. Use a spatula or cake scraper to evenly apply the frosting.
Add the optional toasted sliced almonds around the side bottom of the cake. Slightly press with your palm so the almonds will stick to the cake. Chill at least for 30 minutes or longer.

Prepare the chocolate ganache

Heat the heavy cream in a microwave for about 20 to 30 seconds. Add the semisweet chocolate and coffee granules.
Cover to trap the heat for a couple of minutes. This will help to melt the chocolate quickly. Whisk until chocolate melted and no more bits of chocolate. Let it cool to room temperature.
Transfer in a squeeze bottle or use a spoon and test a drip on side of the cake. If it's the ideal consistency for your liking, continue the drip around the cake. Garnish the cake with chocolate chips (optional). Chill before slicing.

For the chocolate numbers

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or microwave for few seconds at a time then stir and put it back in the microwave until it completely melts. Transfer in a small piping bag.
Trace the numbers over parchment paper. Start piping around the numbers and place the toothpick at the bottom of each number about half an inch inside the numbers.
Fill the numbers with melted chocolate and sprinkle the coarse sugar for sparkles. Let it dry then repeat on the other side.

Video

Notes

You can adjust the coffee flavour, depending on how strong you like it. You can make a strong coffee to flavour the cake but keep the same amount of liquid. Substitute the milk with strong coffee or espresso and add the 2 tbsp coffee mixture or water.

Adding the coffee mixture or espresso to buttercream. Make sure to let it cool before adding to the buttercream or you may end up with runny buttercream.

Nutrition