This moist, easy, and amazingly tasty chocolate cake paired with a creamy coffee ganache is a match made in heaven. Perfect for any celebration, this cake is a true showstopper.
I first made this chocolate and coffee cake for my birthday a couple of years ago, and it’s been on my mind ever since. I truly despise tasteless chocolate cakes that claim to be full of flavour, which is why I love this recipe. The coffee in the cake, frosting and ganache filling brings out the chocolate flavour without being too overbearing, taking the flavour to a whole other level.
If you’re not a fan of coffee, I highly recommend you try this recipe anyway. You can swap out the coffee frosting for one without coffee, but if you want to keep the deep, chocolatey flavour of the cake, I recommend adding coffee in place of hot water. Decaffeinated coffee works fine too – but the coffee flavour truly brings out all the wonderful notes you want in a chocolate cake, without making it taste bitter or coffee-like.
As someone who doesn’t like to drink coffee, I’m obsessed with this recipe.
I also love how easy it is to make! You just mix the dry ingredients together, add the wet ingredients, mix it all together, bake it, and it’s done! Couldn’t be easier. You also wouldn’t think this cake is so easy to make based on how it tastes.
I chose to decorate my cake with some small meringues and pansies (the edible flowers), but you can decorate it however you want! Be sure to leave a comment if you made this recipe and let me know what you thought!
Chocolate and Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 200 g all-purpose flour
- 310 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1.5 tsp baking soda
- 60 g cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 g sour cream (or natural yoghurt)
- 40 g oil (olive, canola, sunflower, etc.)
- 145 g hot coffee (or boiling water)
Ganache Filling
- 150 g chocolate of choice (white, milk, or dark)
- 150 g heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp instant coffee granules (optional but recommended)
Coffee Frosting
- 300 g heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1.5 tsp instant coffee granules
- 2 tsp caster sugar (or 1 tbsp powdered sugar)
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 175°C or 350°F. Line two round 18cm cake tins.
- Mix together all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt) in a large bowl.
- Mix the hot coffee (or boiling water), oil, vanilla extract, sour cream, and eggs in a medium bowl or jug, then pour it into the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Pour the batter evenly into the two tins and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a couple of crumbs stuck to it.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Ganache Filling
- Cut the chocolate into small pieces and pour into a heat-proof bowl.
- Heat the cream in a pot over medium heat and add the coffee granules. Once hot and steamy, remove from the heat. Do not let boil.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for five minutes before stirring. Mix until all the chocolate has melted and combined with the cream.
- Allow the ganache to thicken until spreadable consistency. If it hardens too much, heat it in the microwave for 10-second intervals, mixing between each round of heating until it reaches your desired thickness.
Coffee Frosting
- Pour the cream into a large bowl together with the vanilla extract, instant coffee, and sugar. Whisk using an electric mixer on medium-high speed or by hand until light and fluffy.
Assembling the Cake
- Place one of the cake layers on a serving plate. Spread the ganache evenly on the surface. You might not need all of it. Place the second cake layer on top.
- Scoop the cream frosting on top of the cake and spread it out using an off-set spatula or whatever tool you have on hand. Spread it down the sides and smooth until evenly coated.
- Decorate however you wish, or leave it as is. Cover and place in the fridge and eat within four days. You can also freeze left-over cake after slicing.
