Home / Recipes / Popular / Cakes & Cupcakes / Chocolate Cake With Mocha Frosting

Chocolate Cake With Mocha Frosting

Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting is the perfect Sunday Dinner Dessert, a moist chocolate cake with a creamy rich Mocha Frosting. Two layers makes it even better.

Chocolate cake on a red cake stand.


 

I always wanted to share this cake that my Mom would make almost every Sunday and that we all loved. Her delicious moist Chocolate Cake recipe with Mocha Frosting! I also included a simple chocolate buttercream frosting if you prefer.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Cocoa – unsweetened dutch processed
  • Water – boiling water
  • Butter – softened butter, I used salted if you use unsalted butter then add a bit more salt
  • Sugar – granulated
  • Egg – large room temperature egg
  • Flour – cake or pastry flour
  • Salt
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Sour milk – you can make your own with either vinegar or lemon juice

Mocha Frosting

  • Butter – softened
  • Sugar – also know as icing, powdered or confectioners’ sugar
  • Cocoa – unsweetened dutch processed
  • Coffee – strong coffee

What is the best cocoa to use

The best cocoa to use is Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder, in order to produce cocoa powder it starts with washing the cocoa beans in an alkaline solution of potassium carbonate. This wash neutralizes the acidity in the beans. Therefore making dutch processed cocoa powder neutral, alkalizing cocoa makes it darker in colour, more mellow in flavour, and helps it to dissolve easily into liquids.

Cake on a red cake stand with a slice on a black plate.

How to make Cake/Pastry Flour

For every cup of all purpose flour, remove two tablespoons and replace with two tablespoons of corn starch. Be sure to sift the flour and cornstarch together a couple of times, this way it is sure to be properly combined and lump free. Cake flour in cakes will give you a very tender texture and fine crumb, it will also help the cake to rise.

Why use room temperature ingredients?

With cakes and other baking, it’s always better to use room temperature ingredients. So, take any cold ingredients out of the refrigerator an hour ahead of time or sooner if it’s cool in your kitchen. Room temperature ingredients blend easier, creating a silky batter or dough, which will help to create a light tender baked good.

How to make a Classic Chocolate Cake

In a small bowl mix together the cocoa and boiling water until completely combined. Let sit 5 minutes.

In a large bowl or stand mixer cream the butter, sugar and egg until fluffy approximately 5 minutes on medium speed.

Add the cocoa mixture to the butter mixture and beat to combine.

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and soda into a medium bowl.

Alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour milk to the creamed mixture. Pour into the prepared cake pans and bake for approximately 20-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean or a few crumbs attached.

Let sit 10-15 minutes in the pans, then move to a wire rack to cool complete before frosting. 

chocolate cake how to photos, batter, in cake pan and icing the cake

Mocha Frosting

Cream butter, add sifted cocoa, then add the sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beat in the coffee one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired constituency. Frost the completely cooled cake. Decorate if desired. I decorated mine with mini chocolate chips.

the frosted chocolate cake with mocha icing

Why does my cake fall?

  • There are a lot a reasons a cake may fall, but the most common ones are, your oven temperature is off, you can always check it with an oven  thermometer to check this.
  • You open the oven door too early. Never open the oven door before 25-30 minutes of baking.
  • Once the batter is mixed it should be baked, letting a cake batter sit too long can cause it to fall. The baking powder or baking soda usually start acting immediately and will only last for a very short period of time, therefore if the cake batter is left to stand before baking then there is always a risk that the baking powder or soda will have expired by the time that the cake goes into the oven.
  • Your baking powder or soda has expired and is no long active.
  • Use room temperature ingredients.
  • The pan size might not be the correct size.

Different ways to frost the cake

If you prefer you can frost the cake with a buttery Swiss Meringue Frosting, a simple Chocolate Ganache or a Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

What is a chocolate ganache?

A chocolate ganache is thinner and creamier than a frosting, it is drizzled over the cake. The ingredients in a ganache are semi sweet chocolate, cream and butter.

Chocolate cake on a red cake stand.

How to store a Homemade cake

As long as the cake is unfrosted it should be kept at room temperature. Keep it in a cake container or well wrapped. It will keep for up to 3 days. If you store it in the fridge, wrap tightly to keep it from drying out. It will keep for up to 5-6 days in the fridge.

How to freeze a cake

Be sure to cool the cake completely then wrap it tightly in either plastic wrap or foil, place it in a freezer safe bag. The cake will keep for  up to 2 months in the freezer. When ready to thaw place the wrapped cake in the refrigerator to thaw completely before serving.

I always and still do consider this the best chocolate cake recipe I have ever tasted, especially with the mocha frosting! I hope you like it as much as I do. Enjoy!

A slice of cake on a black plate with a fork.

More Delicious Chocolate Cake Recipes

Chocolate cake on a red cake stand.

Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting

Rosemary Molloy
Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting is the perfect Sunday Dinner Dessert, a moist chocolate cake with a creamy rich Mocha Frosting. Two layers makes it even better.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10 servings
Calories 438 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE

  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa dutch processed
  • ¼ cup boiling water
  • cup butter (softened)*
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg (room temperature)
  • cups cake flour
  • 1 pinch pinch salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup sour milk ** (room temperature) (mix 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice with 1/2 cup of milk and let sit 15 minutes)

*If you use unsalted butter then add ¼ teaspoon of salt.

** Tom make sour milk to the ½ cup of milk add ½ tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar, let sit 15-20 minutes before using.

MOCHA FROSTING

  • cup butter (softened) (softened)
  • 3 cups icing / powdered sugar (sifted)
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (sifted)
  • tablespoons strong coffee

MILK CHOCOLATE FROSTING link below

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat oven 350F (180C). Grease and flour 2 8 inch cake pans.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

  • In a small bowl mix together the cocoa and boiling water until completely combined.  Let sit 5 minutes.
  • In a large bowl cream the butter, sugar and egg until fluffy approximately 5 minutes.
  • Add the cocoa mixture to the butter mixture and beat to combine.
  • Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a medium bowl.
  • Then alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour milk to the creamed mixture.  Pour into the prepared cake pans and bake for approximately 20-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let stand 5 minutes before removing from pans.  Cool completely before frosting.  Enjoy!

MOCHA FROSTING

  • Cream butter, add sifted cocoa, then add the sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beat in the coffee one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired constituency.  Frost cooled cake.  Decorate if desired.  

Notes

For room temperature ingredients remove from the fridge approximately 1 hour before using.
To make homemade cake/pastry flour – for every cup of all purpose flour, remove two tablespoons and replace with two tablespoons of corn starch. Be sure to sift the flour and cornstarch together a couple of times, this way it is sure to be properly combined and lump free. Cake flour in cakes will give you a very tender texture and fine crumb, it will also help the cake to rise.
As long as the cake is unfrosted it should be kept at room temperature. Keep it in a cake container or well wrapped. It will keep for up to 3 days. If you store it in the fridge, wrap tightly to keep it from drying out. It will keep for up to 5-6 days in the fridge.
Be sure to cool the cake completely then wrap it tightly in either plastic wrap or foil, place it in a freezer safe bag. The cake will keep for  up to 2 months in the freezer. When ready to thaw place the wrapped cake in the refrigerator to thaw completely before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 203mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 610IU | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 0.7mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!

Updated from February 7, 2018.

6 Comments

  1. Can I use Hersheyโ€™s unsweetened baking cocoa in the cake. You listed unsweetened in the frosting.. would it be the same in both?

  2. Hi Rosemary, can I use Buttermilk instead of the sour-milk receipe. Also is espresso coffee ok to use for the frosting.

    Thank you, great receipes

5 from 6 votes (6 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.