Mocha Cake
A coffee-infused cake with velvety mocha buttercream.
Turning a year older is not as bad as it seems. As I grow older, I think I am becoming more mature and I have learned a lot. I will not enumerate all of them as I don’t want this post to be a dramatic one. Haha!
Anyway, there’s nothing so special about today except for… it’s my birthday. This day will be different from my previous birthdays as I will not have something on the table except for my first favorite cake. If you are a regular reader, you’ll remember about the Mocha Cake I always talk about. Finally, I had a chance to bake it.
Mocha Cake
- Difficulty: easy
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- 6 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp Nescafe coffee granules
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp water
- ½ cup vegetable oil (or any flavorless oil)
- 1 cup cake flour or cake flour substitute
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 6 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
For the mocha buttercream:
- 1 cup white sugar
- 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 12 oz unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp Nescafe coffee granules
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- 5 tsps water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Line two 9×2-inch round baking pans with parchment paper on the bottom and spray with non-stick spray (both bottom and sides). Set aside.
- In a bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow in color.
- In a small bowl or cup, combine coffee granules and cocoa powder. Add in water and vanilla. Mix until no lumps. Pour this mixture to the egg-sugar mixture.
- Add in vegetable oil and mix to combine.
- Sift cake flour and baking powder over the mixture. Mix until well combined, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl.
- In another bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks.
- Add about just a cup of meringue (egg white mixture) to the bowl with egg yolks just to thin the mixture. Then add the rest of the egg whites by doing the cut and fold process.
- Evenly divide the batter between the two round baking pans.
- Bake on two racks for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. (Rotate and exchange the pans halfway through baking.
- Remove from the oven and let it stay in the baking pan for about 10 minutes. Then carefully transfer the cake on a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
While waiting for the cake to cool completely, let us make the mocha buttercream.
- In a heatproof bowl, add egg whites and sugar. Place over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl). Whisk the egg whites and sugar for about 3-5 minutes or until the meringue is hot to touch and the sugar is dissolved.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and continue beating (using an electric hand mixer) for 5 minutes in medium speed.
- Add half of the softened butter and beat until smooth. Then add the other half to combine, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Continue beating for another 6-10 minutes in a medium-high speed until thick.
- In a small bowl or cup, combine coffee granules and cocoa powder. Add in water and vanilla. Mix until no lumps. Pour this mixture to the buttercream and mix until well combined.
To assemble the cake,
- Cut parchment paper larger than the size of your cake stand of serving plate, cut into 4. Place these above your cake stand. This will keep your cake stand/serving plate clean while frosting.
- Place the first layer of your cake on the parchment-lined cake stand. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the buttercream over the cake and spread evenly using an offset spatula.
- Place the second layer of the cake over and spread with a thin layer of the buttercream all over the cake. Let rest for 15 minutes.
- Spread a thicker layer of buttercream all over your cake.
- Decorate the cake as you wish.
Source recipe: Mocha Cake ala Goldilocks by Gourmeted
Notes:
I doubled the mocha buttercream recipe just to make it enough for the roses for the frosting. If you’d like to double it, please be patient in beating if using a hand mixer as it will take time to form. Mine took about 20-30 minutes.
I used 2D Wilton piping tip for the frosting. Check out this video on how to make the beautiful roses on my cake.
Whew! That was long! That’s the reason why I don’t bake this frequently – just looking at the instructions makes me tired. Haha! But everything was worth it. The cake was soft, fluffy and incredibly delicious!! This is the second time I bake this cake. The first time was last year – on my birthday, too.
‘Goldilocks’ is a known bakeshop in the Philippines and I LOVE their Mocha Cake so much (like I could just finish the whole cake all by myself). My Mom never failed to buy me the cake during my birthdays. Its been ages since I was looking for a Mocha Cake recipe and my friend, Google, gave me something like a Coffee Cake but I was not sure if it was something I was looking for. Patiently, I searched and searched. Nothing. Until a friend of mine, Joice, gave me this site. Gosh! I was drooling the exact moment I opened the site. Hahaha!
I want to put more words to this post but I guess the photos will do the talking for me. I guess the beauty and the deliciousness of this cake almost left me speechless.
I really hope you could try this cake. 🙂 I promise that you will love it… and please let me know!
Thank you so much for spending this day with me! Have a nice weekend! 😉
24 Comments
kahht
This is absolutely beautiful. I’d love to do a cake like this one day… maybe on my thirty-second! Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Jhuls
Please let me know if you make this. 😉
thebrookcook
HBD! (Belated :)) Your cake is FABULOUS!!
Jhuls
Thank you! 😉
Bipasha
Happy belated birthday to you!
Your cake looks absolutely professional, I’m sure it tastes great too. Btw, I lived in Manila as a student a few years ago and had some great treats from ‘Goldilocks’. Your post has reminded me of happy times 🙂
smiles,
Bipasha
Jhuls
Thanks a lot for the greetings and for stopping by. The cake was absolutely delicious. I am glad this post has made you smile, somehow. 😉
Liz
Happy birthday girl and what a lovely cake you made. Your decorating skills are awesome. I wish you mailed me a slice….I hope you enjoyed your day?
Jhuls
Thank you, Liz! Haha! The next time I make this, I’ll have the FedEx bring you some. 😉 I enjoyed my day… thanks again! 🙂
Liz
Fedex vans are always on my street…I look forward to. It’s so cold here. We are already hitting 0 Centigrade at night. I think we shall have a very cold winter this year. sigh….
Jhuls
Oh! Really? I don’t think we hit that weather temperature in the Philippines, haha! You should always have something hot to drink. Does it help?
Fae's Twist & Tango
– Happy Birthday Darling Jhuls! Thirties are wonderful years! ‘Live’ every moment of your young years!
– Mocha is my favorite flavor of cake (or anything that comes in mocha)! For my special events, I also go with mocha! I am going to give this recipe a try. When I do, I’ll come back with a report! 😀
Jhuls
Thank you so much for the wonderful message, Fae! I will wait for that report! 😉 Have a lovely Saturday! 🙂
tastytreats13
I hope you had an amazing birthday! The cake certainly look amazing!
Jhuls
I had a great day. Thank you so much for the greetings! And yes, the cake was amazing!
Baking With Gab
The buttercream roses are absolutely lovely, well done! I hope you have a lovely birthday 🙂
Jhuls
Thank you, Gab! 😘
Ada ~ More Food, Please
Happy Birthday! What a beautiful cake–I love the roses 🙂 The mocha buttercream sounds amazing! I will have to try making this soon. Thanks for sharing!
Jhuls
This cake is really delicious!! I hope you could try this and please let me know. Thank you so much for the greetings! 🙂
countybakermom
happy happy birthday france! 🙂 as one of my besties during my elementary years I must say I never forget your birthday ,yes it’s true.. Anyway, I wish you good health and more birthdays to come:) I love you and I miss you. Your cake is very beautiful like you and I must say I want a slice of mocha cake like now,LOL! 🙂
Jhuls
Aww! That’s so sweet, France! I never forget your birthdays, too! I miss you and I love you, too! Take care always and thank you for the love and wishes!! Mwahhh I really wish I could give you a slice now! Hahaha!
Dimple@shivaaydelights
Happy birthday! The cake is beautiful! I want a slice 🙂
Jhuls
Thank you so much, Dimple. Mwahhh I wish I could send a slice or two! 😉
Butter, Basil and Breadcrumbs
Happy Birthday!! I hope your day is beautiful… 🙂
The cake is gorgeous… And sounds absolutely delicious.. I just love the rose cake design..
Jhuls
The cake is amazing! Thank you so much for the greetings and for the wishes. And thanks for following, too! Have a lovely Friday! 😉