There is nothing better than a perfect, simple chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. This Frosted Coffee Chocolate Cake is extra special and may just become your go-to dessert for any occasion.
I love sheet cakes because you can bake and frost them, then easily transport them to picnics, potlucks, parties, or gatherings and serve straight from the baking pan. So simple!
Top: Smoothly frosted cake; Bottom: Covered with sprinkles!
You can also bake this cake in a 12-cup (2.8 L) bundt pan or two 9-inch (23 cm) round baking pans for a layered cake. The bundt will take 50 to 55 minutes and the round layers will take 30 to 35 minutes to bake. Use a wooden toothpick to check and be sure they are done. The toothpick should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs and the cake will pull away from the edges of the pan.
If you decide to make a bundt cake, I would add a bit more cream to the frosting to get it to a glaze consistency for pouring over the cooled cake. And if you’re going to make a layer cake I would double the frosting to be sure you have enough for the whole cake.
This frosting is quite unique. Unlike more traditional frostings, this has a very smooth texture and is almost like a pudding in consistency while it is mixing. I love it! You make it by boiling cream and sugar together then melting the chocolate and butter in the hot cream. Chill it down and beat it to a spreading consistency.
To reduce the chance of sugar granules winding up in the final frosting, I added a teaspoon of light corn syrup while it was cooking. You can leave it out if you don’t have any or use golden syrup in its place.
I chose to use sprinkles on the top as well as fresh fruit around the slice of cake but you can decorate it any way you prefer. The sprinkles are very festive for birthdays and other celebrations, swirls in the frosting are classic and suitable for any occasion. Enjoy this cake with your special life moments!
The red raspberries and blueberries make this just right for your upcoming 4th of July parties. You could also use special red, white, and blue sprinkles that are even more appropriate for the Fourth. My favorite place to get amazing sprinkles and edible glitter is the Fancy Sprinkles online site. Beautiful selections are available for most holidays.
I am loving every bite of this chocolate cake. It is incredibly satisfying and will please all the chocoholics in your crowd!
I would love to have you try this Frosted Coffee Chocolate Cake and enjoy the rich, extra chocolatey flavor, and indulgent lusciousness in every bite!
If you try this recipe, let me know! Please leave a star rating in the recipe card, comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it @theheritagecook on Instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day and I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for Frosted Coffee Chocolate Cake:
- Cake: sugar, gluten-free flour blend, natural unsweetened cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, eggs, buttermilk, black coffee, vegetable oil, vanilla
- Frosting: heavy cream, sugar, light corn syrup (optional) unsweetened chocolate, unsalted butter, vanilla, kosher salt
PRO Tip:
This cake batter is very thin, so start the mixer on low and slowly increase speed to avoid being splashed!
How to make Frosted Coffee Chocolate Cake:
- Make the Cake: Whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer or a large bowl if using a hand mixer. Add the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes – the batter will be thin! Pour batter evenly into a buttered and floured 9x13x2-inch (22x33x5 cm) baking pan.
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cool completely then frost.
- Prepare the Frosting: Bring the cream and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Stir in the corn syrup. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced slightly, about 6 minutes. Pour into the bowl of your stand mixer or a large bowl if using a hand mixer. Add the chocolate, butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are melted.
- Place this bowl into a larger bowl filled with water and ice. Nestle it down into the cold water. Chill the mixture, stirring occasionally with a spatula, for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove the bowl from the water, dry the bottom, and transfer to your stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed until thick and glossy. Set in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up slightly, stir with a spatula before frosting the cake.
- Frost the Cake: Using an off-set spatula, spread the frosting over the top of the cooled cake. Decorate it with swirls or decorations as desired. Enjoy! Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Return to room temperature before serving.
PRO Tip:
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can use sour milk. To sour milk, pour 1 cup (237 ml) of milk in a measuring cup, remove 1 tbsp milk and then add 1 tbsp vinegar to bring it back to 1 cup (237 ml). Let it sit a couple of minutes then stir until thick and blended.
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- Kitchen scale
- Chef’s knife and paring knife
- 9x13x2-inch (22x33x5 cm) baking pan
- Medium saucepan
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Large bowl
- Offset spatula
Gluten-Free Tips and Notes:
*You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
You will get the best results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Frosted Coffee Chocolate Cake (GF)
Quick and easy to make, this Frosted Coffee Chocolate Cake is incredible – enjoy the rich, indulgent lusciousness in every bite!
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups (396g) granulated sugar
- 1-3/4 cups (210g*) gluten-free all-purpose flour* or regular all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (63g) natural unsweetened cocoa, such as Hershey’s brand
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 large eggs (100g)
- 1 cup (227g) buttermilk or sour milk**
- 1/2 cup (99g) vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (227g) very hot strong black coffee or 2 tsp powdered instant coffee plus 1 cup (227g) boiling water
Chocolate Frosting
- 1-1/3 cups (303g) heavy cream
- 1-1/2 cups (297g) sugar
- 1 tsp light corn syrup, optional
- 6 oz (170g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 stick plus 2 tbsp (141g) unsalted butter, cubed
- 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter and flour a 9x13x2-inch (23x33x5 cm) baking pan. (Be sure to use GF flour, if needed, for the pan too.)
- Make the Cake: Stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer or a large heatproof bowl if using a hand mixer. Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; beat on low speed until combined. Add the coffee and mix 2 minutes on low; batter will be very thin. Watch out for splashing. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The cake will pull away from the sides of the pan too. The cake will dome as it bakes and as it cools, the center will sink slightly. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
- Prepare the Frosting: In a medium nonstick saucepan, place the sugar and cream, stirring until the sugar is fully dampened. Stir in the corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces slightly, about 6 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer or a large heatproof bowl if using a hand mixer, and add the chopped chocolate, butter pieces, vanilla, and salt. Let stand, stirring occasionally with a spatula or spoon, until the chocolate and butter are fully melted. A few very small bits of butter are ok.
- Place this bowl into a larger bowl filled halfway with water and ice. Nestle it down into the cold water. Let the mixture chill, stirring occasionally with a spatula, for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove the bowl from the water, dry the bottom, and transfer to the mixer. Slowly increase the speed, then beat on medium-high until thick and glossy, slightly lighter in color, and the consistency will be similar to pudding, about 10 minutes. Set in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up a bit before frosting the cake.
- Frost the Cake: Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cake, adding swirls or other decorations as desired. Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Return to room temperature before serving.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
* You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
** To sour milk, pour 1 cup (237 ml) of milk in a measuring cup, remove 1 tbsp and then add 1 tbsp vinegar to bring it back to 1 cup (237 ml). Let it sit a couple of minutes then stir until thick and smooth.
You will get the best results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Cake adapted from a recipe on hersheyland.com
Frosting adapted from a recipe in Food and Wine magazine
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 344Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 487mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 9g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.
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