Karen’s Mocha Cake

Karen's Mocha Cake

This Mocha Cake was my first sale at JodieBakes. My friend Karen wanted a mocha flavored cake for her father-in-law’s birthday. I use a mocha cake for the German Chocolate Cake that I make so that is what I used for the cake part of this beauty. I researched until I found a swiss mocha buttercream that seemed interesting and delicious to cover the cake and fill in between the layers. I had never made a swiss buttercream on the stove before, so I was curious and nervous at the same time. A swiss buttercream is a little more time consuming but the outcome is truly buttery and delicious. To finish off this cake I decided on a chocolate buttercream to give a slightly darker contrast to the light color of the swiss mocha buttercream. A dusting of shaved chocolate topped off the cake for this sale. Karen said that her father-in-law thought it was delicious and he had two pieces. I just made this again for my husband’s birthday because I needed to get some final measurements before I could post it in my blog. Instead of the shaved chocolate on top he requested chopped heath bars. Sinful is all that I can say. The flavors went really well together and the chopped candy bars on top added a crunch that was perfect. Everyone that had a piece that evening said it was absolutely yummy.

Karen’s Mocha Cake Recipe

Mocha Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 Cups AP Flour
  • 3/4 Cups Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
  • 3/4 Tsp Salt
  • 1 Cup Hot Strong Coffee
  • 1 Cup Buttermilk
  • 1 1/4 Cups Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 2 1/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
  • 5 Eggs Large Eggs
  • 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 4 Oz Dark Chocolate, melted & cooled

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 9″ cake pans, line with parchment and butter again. Dust with flour and knock out the excess.
  2. Sift the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside. In another small mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and coffee.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and beat to incorporate. The mixture should look light and fluffy.
  4. Alternately add the flour mixture and the coffee/buttermilk mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the melted chocolate with a spatula.
  5. Divide the batter ( 1 lb 7 1/2 oz ) in the three prepared cake pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean or the cake bounces back when touched.
  6. Remove cake from oven and place on a wire rack to cool about 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto the rack and let completely cool.

Mocha Swiss Buttercream

Ingredients

  • 4 1/2 Oz Whole Eggs
  • 2 1/2 Oz Egg Yolks
  • 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 1/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Water
  • 1/4 Tsp Cream of Tartar
  • 1 lb Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 6 Oz Bittersweet Chocolate, finely chopped
  • 2 Tsp Instant Espresso Powder
  • 1 Tbsp Water

Directions

  1. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler and cool to room temperature. Cut the butter into 2 tablespoon pieces.
  2. Have a small bowl of water and a clean pastry brush ready next to the stove. In a small saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, bring the 1 1 /4 cups of sugar, water, and the cream of tartar to a boil over a medium-high heat. If you see any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan, wipe them down with the wet pastry brush, making sure not to let the pastry brush touch the boiling sugar mixture. The sugar needs to cook until 242 degrees. This will take several minutes.
  3. While the sugar mixture is boiling, place the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in a clean bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whip attachement, whip the eggs on medium speed until they are thick and pale in color and can hold a ribbon when the whip is lifted out.
  4. When the boiling sugar syrup reaches 242 degrees, turn the mixer with the egg mixture on low and slowly pour the sugar syrup into it. Be sure to pour it along the bowl so the hot syrup doesn’t hit the whip and splatter. Allow the eggs and sugar mixture to beat on medium/high speed until the eggs have cooled about 8 minutes.
  5. Add the butter 2 tablespoons at a time. The buttercream will look soupy and curdled, but continue to add all of the butter and it will all come together. You may think that the buttercream is ruined, trust me, keep adding the butter and keep beating it. The finished buttercream should be smooth and silky.
  6. Add a tablespoon of water to the espresso powder and dissolve. Add the melted and cooled chocolate and espresso water to the buttercream. Mix to combine.

Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients

  • 2 2/3 Cups Powdered Sugar
  • 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
  • 1/3 Cup Whole Milk
  • 1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions

  1. Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium/high until the buttercream becomes light and fluffy.

Assembling The Cake

Directions

  1. Make sure all cake layers are level.
  2. Place 1 layer on a cake round. Smooth 1 cup of the mocha buttercream almost to the edge of cake.
  3. Cover with 2nd cake layer and smooth out 1 cup of mocha buttercream. Cover with 3rd cake layer.
  4. Crumb coat the entire cake in a thin layer of mocha buttercream. Refrigerate until slightly firm.
  5. Cover the entire cake in a thick layer of mocha buttercream. Smooth out sides and top of cake.
  6. Using a round tip ( Ateco #806 ), place round dots of chocolate buttercream around the bottom of cake and on the top of the cake. Sprinkle chocolate shavings on the inside of the chocolate buttercream dots to finish off the cake.

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