Mocha Cake

March 10, 2019

This mocha cake is really moist, tender and chocolatey. The cake itself is not too sweet, but the chocolate ganache makes up for that. I don’t like overly sweet desserts.

I love making bundt cakes for festive occasions like birthdays and holidays. I made this cake most recently for my sister’s birthday. Emma loves chocolate. She especially likes Cadbury chocolate eggs, so I made this cake for her birthday celebration, but it would be super cute for Easter as well.

One of the things I love about bundt cakes, is filling the center with delicious treats. This time I used chocolate eggs. At Christmas time, I like to fill the center with cranberries, candied or plain. The options are infinite. You can have so much fun with it. If you wanted, you could fill the center with ganache. Just double the ganache recipe.

Enjoy!

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Mocha Cake
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Resting time
15 mins
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
 

Moist mocha cake

Course: Dessert
Keyword: mocha cake, moist pound cake, pound cake
Servings: 20
Author: Rosa
Ingredients
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs (room temperature)
  • 1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
  • 1/4 cup espresso or dark roast coffee
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
Chocolate Ganache
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 7 tbsp whipping cream, room temperature
Instructions

  1. Generously grease the bundt cake pan with cold butter. It will warm up as you move it around the pan with your fingers or brush. Be sure to get the butter into every corner of the pan. Put the buttered pan in the refrigerator while you make the batter. (Refrigerating the buttered pan will ensure that the butter coating doesn’t move when the batter is poured into the pan).

  2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

  3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, around 3-4 minutes. 

  4. Add the eggs one at a time. Blend until incorporated. The batter may look  a little curdled. This is normal.

  5. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure that nothing is stuck to the bottom of the bowl.

  6. Add the vanilla, coffee and half of the buttermilk. Blend until incorporated.

  7. Mix all of the dry ingredients together with a whisk (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt). Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter. Blend on low speed until mostly incorporated. 

  8. Add the other half of the buttermilk. Blend until incorporated.

  9. Add the remainder of the dry ingredients and blend until mostly incorporated. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Finish mixing the batter by hand with a spatula.

  10. Remove the cake pan from the refrigerator. If you’re using an intricate cake pan, you may want to flour the pan for extra insurance. Pour the batter into the pan. 

  11. Bake the cake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

  12. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes before flipping the cake onto a serving plate. Shake the pan from side to side to determine if it has released from the sides of the pan. If not, check again in five minutes. 

Chocolate Ganache

  1. Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Place the chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds, twice. Remove and stir the chocolate.

  2. Add the whipping cream to the chocolate. Place in the microwave for 30 seconds. Remove and stir. Repeat until combined and smooth.