This Chocolate Espresso Layer Cake is one of the most popular cakes on my blog! Once you try it, you’ll know why. This chocolate espresso cake recipe is rich and flavorful, with just the right level of sweetness. The flavors compliment each other perfectly, and the meringue buttercream adds incredible lightness. Keep reading to learn how to make my chocolate espresso cake.
I love layer cakes but I have to admit they stress me out. There are so many all or nothing moments where there’s just no turning back. Getting the three layers of cake to be even and level.
Making sure the buttercream doesn’t break. Flipping layers of cake upon frosted layers of cake, hoping that each one sits just perfectly so that the sides are even. It makes my palms sweat.
No matter how many times I’ve made layer cakes, I still get nervous at these defining moments. I was so thrilled with the way this chocolate espresso layer cake turned out. I couldn’t have asked for better results.
I haven’t always been that lucky, though! I always procrastinate cutting that first slice. I’ve spent so much time with the frosting and everything looks so beautiful from the outside.
Will it look as good on the inside? Will the frosting layers be even? Will the slice pull neatly away from the cake so that I can get a picture of both together?
Will the center have an even point? Sometimes, when I’m lucky, it all comes together perfectly in the end. And when that happens, it feels like magic. This chocolate espresso layer cake was definitely one of those magical moments.
Update: I’m getting a lot of questions about how I got such a clean slice of cake. My method: use a long, sharp knife. Run it under hot water, wipe it dry and immediately cut one slice in a straight down, non-sawing motion.
Don’t pull the knife up, pull it straight out toward you. Then repeat the process for the other side, starting with the hot water. That’s how I do it!
Also, I use Valrhona cocoa powder (linked below under “Tools I Used”) which is a high quality cocoa powder used by most high end bakeries and restaurants. Using a standard grocery store cocoa powder will work perfectly well but the cake may be lighter in color).
Natural Vs. Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder
This recipe uses Dutch-process cocoa powder. Did you know that different types of cocoa powder can produce different results in your recipe? If you’d like to know more about this, check out my post Natural vs. Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder.
Want to learn more about layer cakes?
Check out my post on how to make a perfect layer cake!
Want to learn more about buttercream?
Don’t miss my post: What is buttercream + troubleshooting tips
Chocolate Espresso Layer Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Espresso Cake:
- 10 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons espresso powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 ounces Dutch-processed cocoa powder (9 tablespoons)
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half (or 50% cream + 50% whole milk)
- 1/4 cup espresso vodka such as Van Gogh (regular espresso may be substituted)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 9 ounces unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 21 ounces granulated sugar (2 1/4 cup)
- 6 large eggs (room temperature)
Chocolate Espresso Italian Meringue Buttercream:
- 13 ounces (1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water
- Optional: 1 teaspoon corn syrup
- 5 large egg whites
- 16 ounces unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate (melted)
- 1 tablespoon espresso vodka such as Van Gogh, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon brewed espresso room temperature
Instructions
Prepare the cakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place an oven rack in the middle position. Lightly spray the bottom of 3 8-inch cake pans with baking spray and then cover them with parchment rounds. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, espresso powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Sift in the cocoa powder and whisk until the dry ingredients are evenly combined. In a separate small bowl, combine the half and half, espresso vodka and vanilla extract.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on low speed for 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, allowing each egg to incorporate before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer still on low speed, swiftly alternate between adding the dry and liquid ingredients over the course of a minute. Scrape down the sides well, making sure to reach the bottom of the bowl. Turn the mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.
- Distribute the batter evenly between the 3 prepared cake pans, using a spatula to even out the tops.
- Bake until the a toothpick comes out of the center of each cake clean, approximately 30-35 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pan before removing.
Prepare the frosting
- Add sugar, water and corn syrup to a medium sized sauce pot. Cover and turn the heat to high. Once the liquid begins to simmer and steam has developed, remove the cover (this helps prevent crystallization). Using a candy thermometer, cook the sugar to the soft boil stage, 235-240 degrees F.
- While the sugar is cooking, whisk the eggs on high in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until a soft peak has formed.
- Turn the mixer speed down to medium low and very slowly pour the syrup down the side of the bowl into the egg whites. Don’t pour the hot syrup directly into the meringue.
- Once the syrup is completely incorporated, turn the speed to high and allow the meringue to continue to form a stiff peak while cooling down. Mix on high until the meringue has reached room temperature. To speed up this 15-20 minute process, ice packs can be placed around the bowl.
- Once the meringue is room temperature, slowly begin incorporating the soft butter on medium speed. Once all of the butter has been incorporated, turn the mixer speed up to high and very slowly add the chocolate, espresso and vodka.
Assemble the cake
- Place the first layer of cake on a revolving cake stand and remove the parchment paper. Placing a cardboard round below the cake is optional but will make transporting the cake easier after it is assembled.
- Spread approximately one cup of buttercream on the cake and spread it around evenly with an offset spatula. Add more buttercream as needed to reached the desired thickness. Repeat with the second and third layer (don't forget to remove the parchment each time). Use an offset spatula to apply a thin layer of frosting to the side and top of the cake. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set this first layer of buttercream. Cover the entire cake with a final layer of frosting. Grate some unsweetened or semi-sweet chocolate on top of the cake for decoration, if desired.
- Cake is best when served at room temperature.
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
For immediate help troubleshooting a recipe, please email me using the form on my contact page. I’ll try to respond to urgent questions as quickly as possible! For all general questions, please leave a comment here :)
Tools I used:
(these links go to my Amazon affiliate store)
Ateco Revolving Cake Stand
EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale
KitchenAid Stand Mixer
Parchment Sheets
Wilton Cake Rounds
Wilton Cake and Cookie Lifter
Digital Thermometer
Offset Spatula
Valrhona Cocoa Powder
iKitty says
What other vodka (or spirits) would you use? I can’t recall seeing espresso vodka around here :) Nevermind! I just loaded the rest of the comments. This looks perfect! And I also stress out when cutting the first slice as well!
Maria Darazs says
how did you cut the cake so perfectly?
Savory Simple says
I explain hoe to get a clean cut directly under the recipe
Jen Laceda says
Chocolate and Coffee – my two fave dessert items! This is a winner!
Kasia Dziekan says
Great recipe! The frosting was tricky to make so I asked my mom for some oldschool baking tips and it turned out yummy. I love baking chocolate cakes and this one is sooo tasty :) Here’s my result https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/11043021_999611046717442_2274100915605446164_n.jpg?oh=3e8a20ba36104c9a5e96de7949fd490c&oe=5583927A&__gda__=1434394827_88f9bddc50f68b7e5e9205bc075a1f50
Savory Simple says
That came out gorgeous!!! Great job on the layers :)
KyraMorganOC says
I just made this cake. I don’t have a digital scale so I did the conversion and something seems way off, the cake didn’t rise at all…each layer is less than an inch…
flour – 10.5 ounces is 1.3125 cups
sugar – 21 ounces is 2.265
butter – 9 ounces is 1.125
could only find Van Gogh Double Espresso, which is $30 s bottle. Espresso vodka is hard to find and I live in Orange County. This is supposed to be for a party on Friday. I ordered a digital scale from Amazon but it won’t be here in time to and make this cake again.
Savory Simple says
Yikes, where in the world did you come up with those conversions? 10.5 ounces is well over 2 cups of flour. 21 ounces of sugar is closer to 4 cups. But I specifically didn’t include volume measurements because this cake is so specific. A “cup” of flour varies dramatically in ounces depending on how it is weighed.
Savory Simple says
Yikes, where in the world did you come up with those conversions? 10.5 ounces is well over 2 cups of flour. 21 ounces of sugar is closer to 4 cups. But I specifically didn’t include volume measurements because this cake is so specific. A “cup” of flour varies dramatically in ounces depending on how it is weighed.
DearCreatives.com says
Stunning cake. I bet it was amazing. As a coffee lover this is one I have to try!
Damien Felix says
how do I convert the ounces to cups? Ive looked online and there are like 5 trillion different answers. I’m just starting out and for fun so I won’t be investing in scales and such- Please advise. Chart?
Savory Simple says
The reason there are 5 trillion different answers is because there is no accurate conversion. A cup of flour can weigh anywhere between 2.5 to 5.5 ounces depending on how you measure it (for example, if you scoop the measuring cup into a bin of flour versus spooning it into the cup). That’s a massive difference if you think about it! If you’ve ever made cookies from a website, and the photo on the site had big, thick cookies but yours turned out more thin and flat (or vice versa), this is why. I just checked on Amazon and you can get a highly rated kitchen scale for $12. I hate to be a pain, but it’s really a worthwhile, inexpensive investment.
When I measure all-purpose flour, it tends to come out to *approximately* 5 ounces per cup. I can’t promise you that your cake will look like my cake without the scale, but it will still taste good :)
Lin Parks says
I am trying this cake out tonight with some friends. There is a “Desserts By Design” fund raiser for our Heritage Center this Thursday night and if we like this cake, it will be on one of the beautiful tables. Fingers crossed here! It sounds delicious and the cake batter was yummy!
shaunda m cottingim says
what is espresso powder? or do you just mean ground espresso?
Jennifer Farley says
Hi Shaunda! Espresso powder is different than ground espresso. It’s much more finely ground, like a powder as opposed to granules. You can find it in the spice at at some grocery stores. I usually just buy it online. It’s pretty cheap on Amazon!
Jean Heavrin says
I do not drink alcohol. What can I substitute for the espresso vodka?
Jennifer Farley says
Hi Jean, I go over this in the notes at the bottom of the recipe. Regular espresso will work.
Landon McCallister says
How much espresso powder would you add to chocolate butter cream if you were not going to use yours?
Jennifer Farley says
“To taste” :)
Dana says
Hi, Jennifer,
Can I use kahlua instead of espresso vodka?
Thanks! Dana
Jennifer Farley says
Hi Dana, I think that should be ok! The Kalua might be a bit more sweet than espresso vodka, but I don’t think there’s enough that it would add a ton of sweetness to the cake.
Lorna says
Made this cake today…. totally delicious and very addictive!
Thanks for the recipe
Tina Thigpen says
10 1/2 0unces of flour doesn’t sound like enough of flour ?
Jennifer Farley says
Well, if you read the various comments about success with the cake, maybe that will ease your mind :)
Slicey says
Can you use the carton egg whites or is it imperative to use whole eggs and separate the whites for the cake recipes?
Karishma says
I really want to make this for a very close friend’s birthday. The only issue is I have 9″ inch cake pan instead of 8″ so was wondering if I split this recipe between 2 9″ inch cake pans and have 2 layers, would it be okay? Alternatively, if I were to stick with 3 layers of 9″ inch, I understand the same ingredients would result in thinner cakes so how would you suggest I go about regarding increase of ingredients?
P.S – I really really really want to make 2 layers of 9″ as there’s a lot of travel involved so a lower height would be preferable.
Look forward to hearing from you on this soon!
Jennifer Farley says
Hi Karishma! You can absolutely turn this into a 2-layer cake! I’ve done so before in my 8-inch pans. Do you by any chance have a cupcake/muffin pan? The easiest thing for you to do would be to follow the instructions as is and fill the two 9-inch pans. Then, you could pour any excess batter into a lightly greased cupcake pan and make little cupcakes so you don’t waste the excess batter and frosting. That way you can enjoy a treat in addition to giving your friend a birthday cake! The bake time should be almost identical for the 9-inch cakes, maybe a minute or two longer. Just keep an eye on it. The cupcakes would be around 22-25 minutes.
Karishma says
Hey Jennifer! Really appreciate the super quick response! I sure do have a muffin tray and this sounds like a great idea! Wanted to confirm on the granulated sugar. Where I come from, it is that typical crystal sugar. Would this be okay or a powder form consistency would be better? Also I’ll be making my corn syrup(light corn syrup) so is it okay if I make it on the same day as the cake? Oh and one more thing. I don’t have a candy thermometer easily available so could you please tell me visible signs about soft booking of the sugar syrup so I could take a call on shutting the gas (this is how I make my caramel as well. Thanks a ton!
Jennifer Farley says
I don’t know what crystal sugar is, can you send me a link to an example? My guess is yes, but I don’t want to mislead you. It’s DEFINITELY not powdered sugar, don’t use that in the cake. Also, I would just omit the corn syrup completely from the buttercream if you have to make it. It’s not essential. There’s no visible sign to look for with the soft boil stage, but I’d say around 5 minutes should be a good guess.
Karishma says
This is the one. Would it do?
Oh brilliant if corn syrup isn’t a must. Phew. I’m as it is making espresso vodka so this is one task less! Out of curiosity, could you tell me the essence of corn syrup? Thanks a ton, Jennifer! :)
Jennifer Farley says
That’s just regular granulated sugar, it will work just fine!
Kristy Bernardo says
I’m seriously craving this cake. It looks AMAZING!! Also…Why do I always get sucked into reading all the comments on your blog?
Kristy Bernardo says
^^^ There was a laugh-crying emoji that didn’t post…clearly I’ve gotten to a point in life where I don’t communicate well without them (insert second laugh-crying emoji here)!