Mocha Coffee Cake

This recipe for Mocha Coffee Cake makes a very light and moist cake, topped with a sweet espresso glaze that gives a nice coffee perk in the morning or afternoon when you need one.

It’s no secret, we love coffee in our house. So much of it, we love making all kinds of desserts using coffee whenever we get a chance.

Coffee is really good, and espresso happens to be our favorite.  We also LOVE it in some of our favorite Italian drinks, like lattes and cappuccino. Don’t you?

And, there are so many health benefits to drinking coffee.
In fact, beneficial antioxidants are found in both espresso and in regular drip coffee.  Researchers have found that drinking coffee every day has proven to help in fighting disease, protecting our brains cells from the damage that causes Parkinson’s, dementia and Alzheimer’s, just to name a few.

Caffeine is also known to help boost our brainpower, sharpening our memory and keep us alert when needed.  It can also help speed up our metabolism and help with fat-burning, which helps lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Anyway, I’ve been searching for a mocha coffee cake for some time, and finally found one in The Gourmet Cookbook.  This mocha coffee cake turned out really good.  I loved the espresso glaze, because it gave the cake an extra punch of coffee flavor and extra sweetness to it.  We hope you’ll like this one too.

Mocha Coffee Cake

  • 2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1+1/2 sticks of unsalted butter (12 Tbsp.), softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder, dissolved with 1+1/2 Tbsp. hot water
  • 2 Tbsp. instant espresso powder, dissolved with 1 Tbsp. hot water
  • cooking spray and some flour for dusting

Sugared coffee beans:

  • 2 to 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 16 whole coffee beans

Espresso Glaze:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp. instant coffee- combined with 2 Tbsp. hot water.
  • Optional: 1/2 Tbsp. coffee-flavored liqueur, such as Kahlua ( I used Godiva Chocolate Liqueur)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place rack in the center of oven.
Lightly spray a 12 cup Bundt pan with cooking spray, and dust with some flour.
Set aside.

Make the Cake:
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a second bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes until the sugar and butter are well incorporated, pale and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then beat in the vanilla.

Beat in the sour cream, and gradually add in the flour mixture, beating until well incorporated, and batter is thick and creamy.
Use a spoon and stir in the cocoa and espresso mixture until combined. Scraping the sides and bottom of pan with a rubber spatula to combine the batter.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.  Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Set aside to cool in pan for about 20 minutes.  Invert cake onto a rack to cool completely.

Sugar coffee beans: Scatter sugar onto a sheet of wax paper.
Take each coffee bean and dip into the honey, then transfer wet beans to the sugar.
Sprinkle and coat beans with sugar.  Set aside to dry for a few minutes.

Espresso Glaze: Combine powered sugar, espresso powder mixture and liqueur
in a medium bowl.  Stir with a fork until smooth.  Transfer cooled cake to a serving
platter.  Drizzle glaze generously over cake; decorate with sugared coffee beans
on top.

Serves 12
Mocha Coffee Cake recipe adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

Espresso glaze adapted from Health.com, magazine 2011 issue

anna and liz selfie

Welcome! From Anna and Liz

We believe the kitchen is the center and the heart of the home. It is where we cook, eat, and unwind with family and friends, creating memorable traditions! Read more…

Sign Up For Our Email List

Something delicious for your inbox! Subscribe and join our email list and get all our recipes FREE!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

8 Comments