Name: Mocha Cake
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened -; 3 cups packed brown sugar -; 4 large eggs, room temperature -; 3 teaspoons vanilla extract -; 3 cups all-purpose flour -; 3/4 cup baking cocoa -; 3 teaspoons baking soda -; 1/2 teaspoon salt -; 1-1/2 cups brewed coffee, cold -; 1-1/3 cups sour cream -; Frosting: -; 12 ounces cream cheese, softened -; 6 tablespoons butter, softened -; 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted -; 6 tablespoons brewed coffee -; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract -; 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar -; Optional: Chocolate-covered coffee beans and baking cocoa -

Recipe information

Cooking:

40 min.

Servings per container:

Source:

More details

Ingredients for - Mocha Cake

1. 1 cup butter, softened -

2. 3 cups packed brown sugar -

3. 4 large eggs, room temperature -

4. 3 teaspoons vanilla extract -

5. 3 cups all-purpose flour -

6. 3/4 cup baking cocoa -

7. 3 teaspoons baking soda -

8. 1/2 teaspoon salt -

9. 1-1/2 cups brewed coffee, cold -

10. 1-1/3 cups sour cream -

11. Frosting: -

12. 12 ounces cream cheese, softened -

13. 6 tablespoons butter, softened -

14. 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted -

15. 6 tablespoons brewed coffee -

16. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract -

17. 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar -

18. Optional: Chocolate-covered coffee beans and baking cocoa -

How to cook deliciously - Mocha Cake

1. Stage

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round baking pans. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

2. Stage

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and beat until everything is just incorporated. Pour in the coffee and sour cream, beating well. Dump in the rest of the flour mixture, beating just until no flour streaks remain. Editor’s Tip: Do not overbeat once the flour mixture has been added to the butter mixture. Overbeating during this step can incorporate too much air into the batter, which may result in dense, flat cake layers.

3. Stage

Evenly distribute the batter among the three prepared pans. Use a mini offset spatula or the back of a spoon to smooth out the tops if need be. Bake the cake layers until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the cake layers for 10 minutes at room temperature. Remove the cake layers from their pans to wire racks to cool completely to room temperature.

4. Stage

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Beat in the chocolate, coffee and vanilla until blended. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar, starting off slow (so the sugar doesn’t fly everywhere!) and gradually increasing the speed.

5. Stage

Plop a large dollop of frosting on the center of the first cake layer, and spread it evenly to the edges. Place the next cake layer on top, lining it up with the edges of the bottom cake layer. Spread on a layer of frosting. Repeat with the final cake layer. Spread the frosting all over the sides of the cake as well. Editor's Tip: One of our best tips on frosting cakes is to line pieces of parchment underneath the cake to prevent the serving dish from getting too messy from the frosting. Grab the serving dish you wish to present your cake on, and lay down the first cake layer. Cut about four pieces of parchment, and lay them down underneath each cake edge. No need to place the parchment all the way to the center underneath the cake—just underneath the cake’s edges is enough.

6. Stage

If desired, garnish with the chocolate-covered coffee beans and baking cocoa. Cover the cake, and refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve. Editor’s Tip: Don’t worry if your cake doesn’t look picture-perfect. However, we do have a guide on how to frost a cake if you want to work on your technique. If you need some design inspo, learn how to decorate a cake like a pro with these cake designs.