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If you’re looking for something, say…less funfetti-pastel-swirl-sprinkle-coated for your next adult party, this deeply chocolatey and espresso gilded beauty might be exactly what you want. No baby-pink sparkles, here. Just an ultra rich and barely sweet cake with a whisper of luxurious frosting. Happy birthday, indeed.–Jenny Latreille
CAN I MAKE FROSTING IN A FOOD PROCESSOR?
Yes. In fact, don’t even think about using a stand mixer, handheld mixer, whisk, or spoon to make the espresso frosting. It needs to be a food processor. And make sure to keep it running for the required amount of time.
Sour Cream Mocha Cake
This sour cream mocha cake is a knockout. Made with unsweetened chocolate and instant espresso, it’s wicked dense, intense, chocolatey, and easy to toss together from ingredients you already have at home with an espresso frosting that’s as light as the cake is dense. A very “adult” dessert.
Ingredients
For the mocha cake
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, grated
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 teaspoons instant espresso granules, dissolved in 1 cup of hot water
- 1/2 cup sour cream, not fat-free
- 1/4 cup (2 oz) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pans
- 1/4 cup mild vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon chocolate extract, or omit and up the vanilla to 1 tablespoon
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
For the espresso frosting
- 1/4 cup instant espresso granules, dissolved in 5 tablespoons of cold water
- 1 stick (4 oz) stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Make the sour cream mocha cake
- Crank the oven to 350°F (175°C) and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Butter two 8-inch (20-cm) cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter and flour the paper, tapping out any excess flour.
- Melt the chocolate, either in a microwave on medium or in a pot set over another pot filled with an inch of simmering water. (Make sure no water splashes into the chocolate or it’ll become grainy. And then you’ll become grouchy.) Remove from the heat to cool until just warm.
- Meanwhile, dump the sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- In a bowl, whisk together the hot espresso, sour cream, oil, butter, and vanilla and chocolate extracts. Pour the espresso mixture into the flour mixture in the stand mixer and mix on low until just blended, about 30 seconds.
- Slowly drizzle in the beaten eggs and mix on medium until smooth. Scrape in the melted chocolate and beat until the batter is uniform in color, about 15 seconds. The batter will be thin but that’s how it should be.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Move the cakes to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each cake and invert them onto another rack to cool completely.
Make the espresso frosting
- Dissolve the espresso granules in the water.
- Pour the espresso mixture into a food processor and add the butter, sugar, and heavy cream. Process until it becomes light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. The frosting will initially look curdled and destroyed. And then just when you’re about to lose all faith, everything will come together beautifully. Swear.
☞ TESTER TIP: You simply must use a food processor for the frosting. Seriously. Or the frosting won’t come together.
Assemble the cake
- Place 1 cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Frost the top and then stack the second cake on top. Frost the top and sides. Devour immediately.
Notes
Decaf Sour Cream Mocha Cake variation
If you’re sensitive to caffeine, you may get a subtle buzz from this cake. Rather than risk a sleepless night if you tend to eat a late dessert, simply make the recipe with decaffeinated espresso. The intense mocha flavor won’t be affected in the least.
An LC Original
View More Original RecipesNutrition
Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 501 kcalCarbohydrates: 65 gProtein: 5 gFat: 27 gSaturated Fat: 17 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 77 mgSodium: 194 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 46 g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 1999 David Leite. Photo © 2019 David Leite. All rights reserved.
[recipe-testers-choice]
The cake was an absolute keeper, but the frosting was a loser. Had to make it three times before I could get it to come together, and even then it didn’t set up nicely for frosting. So the cake looked a lot shabbier than I had wanted it to. I’m a very experienced baker and this rarely happens; I actually suspected there might be a typo in the recipe. Will use my own mocha buttercream recipe in the future.
Hi Jo, sorry you had a problem. I’ve made the frosting a gazillion times (I’ve even made it for catering events). Where some bakers derail is by not using a food processor. This simply can’t be made in any other kind of mixer. Also, the texture isn’t like a classic buttercream. It leans more toward a whipped-cream frosting.
a cake for true coffee lovers. we had leftovers for breakfast, and my husband now calls it the “eat your coffee for breakfast” cake. it comes together very easily. i confess that i didn’t grate the chocolate before melting it in the microwave!:-) the cake didn’t seem to suffer (it didn’t last past the next day’s breakfast, either).
well, there’s more than one way to get your coffee fix, it seems. love what your husband dubbed the cake. love that it didn’t last–the truest sign of a keeper recipe. thanks for letting us know, aj.
…making it tonight (yet again) for my daughter Brigit’s 15th Birthday Party this Friday. I will wrap and freeze the (3) layers for maximum moistness before I make that oh-so-silky mocha frosting Friday morning! (et Bien Sur, Julia’s Boeuf Bourguignon c’est l’entree’). Thanks for making me remember this keeper by making it so, well, memorable, David. <3<3