Mocha Cake Recipe with Coffee Buttercream Frosting

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If you love coffee and chocolate but you’re tired of cakes that only give you a hint of espresso flavor, this mocha cake fixes that. The frosting is built to taste as strong or as subtle as you want, because you add the espresso powder to your own taste as you go. Pair it with a chocolate cake base I’ve already tested four times over, and you get a layer cake that’s reliable from the first bite to the last.

Round cake with light brown frosting, decorated with swirls of frosting and chocolate-covered coffee beans on top, sits on a white plate. There is a glass of coffee and scattered beans nearby, set against a blue background.

The Best Mocha Cake (Rich Chocolate Layers + Mocha Buttercream)

I asked my Instagram audience what cake flavor they wanted next, and peanut butter cake and coconut cake were the runaway favorites. Then someone dropped “mocha cake” in the comments and I knew that request was jumping the line. Coffee and chocolate is not a flavor combo you get to ignore.

This mocha cake is built on my 9×13 chocolate cake, the one I’ve already tested through four rounds to get the crumb right, just converted into round pans and stacked with a mocha buttercream. The frosting leans on instant espresso / instant coffee granules, so you get real coffee flavor without pulling out an espresso machine. I’ve made a lot of cakes, but I personally think this is one of the best desserts I’ve ever made.

A slice of chocolate layer cake with light brown frosting is being lifted from a decorated cake, topped with swirls of frosting and dark round candies. A cup and a bowl of similar candies are in the background.

Since the chocolate cake base was already proven, converting it into a layer cake was the easy part. You can bake it as 2 layers, 3 layers, or split 2 layers in half for a 4 layer cake if you want extra height for a party. The frosting is just as flexible. I started with 2 teaspoons of instant espresso dissolved in warm milk, but then decided I wanted more coffee flavor, and added more until it hit that “mocha,” not just “chocolate,” note.

Various labeled baking ingredients in white bowls on a white surface, including butter, milk, espresso, salt, powdered sugar, flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking powder, oil, eggs, chocolate, buttermilk, coffee, baking soda, and vanilla.

Key Ingredients & What They Do

Here’s an overview of the key ingredients in this recipe. Jump to the recipe card below for the full recipe.

Bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder: This cake uses two chocolate sources instead of one, melted bittersweet chocolate plus natural cocoa powder, which is what gives it a deeper chocolate flavor than a cocoa only cake.
Hot coffee: Blooming the cocoa powder in hot coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor and is part of what makes this base taste like a bakery cake instead of a basic boxed mix. You can substitute hot water if you need to, but the coffee is doing real work here.
Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds tang and keeps the crumb moist for days, which matters if you’re baking this ahead of a party. Don’t have buttermilk? Follow my homemade buttermilk recipe.
Vegetable oil: Keeps this cake moist – any neutral oil like canola, avocado oil, or light olive oil can be used if that’s what you have on hand.
Butter, room temperature. Beat it on high for a full 3 minutes before adding anything else. That extra beating time is what gives the frosting its light, spreadable texture instead of a dense, heavy one.
Instant coffee or espresso granules. I used Nescafe Gold Espresso Intense instant coffee for the mocha buttercream. Dissolve it in warm milk or coffee before adding it to the buttercream so it blends in smoothly.

A hand holds a jar of Nescafé Gold Espresso Intense coffee. The jar has a gold lid and a black label with a coffee cup image. The background shows a kitchen with wooden floors and white doors.

A slice of chocolate layer cake with light brown frosting and chocolate-covered coffee beans on top, served on a white plate with a fork. Two drinks and more cake are blurred in the background.

You Pick the Number of Layers

This is one decision most mocha cake recipes don’t walk you through, and it changes how the cake looks and how far it stretches. Bake it as 2 layers if you want a classic, simple presentation. Bake it as 3 layers if you want a taller, more dramatic cake for a birthday or holiday table. If you want even more height without doing extra math, bake 2 layers and slice each one in half for a 4 layer cake, using about ½ cup of frosting between layers.

A slice of chocolate cake with creamy frosting, topped with swirls and chocolate-coated coffee beans, on a white plate with a fork. Blurred coffee and more cake are in the background.

How to Make Mocha Cake

A woman in a striped shirt mixes ingredients in a green bowl in a kitchen, standing at a counter near a stove. The image is labeled “1.” in the top left corner.

A woman in a striped shirt holds a glass bowl of melted chocolate and lifts some with a spoon. There is a 2. label in the top left corner. She stands in a kitchen with brown cabinets and a tiled backsplash.

Start the cake by whisking your dry ingredients, flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, in one bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted and cooled bittersweet chocolate, oil, eggs, buttermilk, hot coffee, and vanilla.

A woman wearing a striped shirt stirs ingredients in a glass measuring cup on a kitchen counter. A number 3. is shown in a green box in the corner.

A woman in a striped shirt stirs ingredients in a measuring cup on a kitchen counter. A green box with the number 4 appears in the upper left corner.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients gradually and mix just until combined. Overmixing is the fastest way to a tough cake, so stop as soon as you don’t see streaks of flour.

Two round cake pans filled with chocolate batter are placed on a speckled countertop. A green box in the top left corner displays the number 5 in white.

Two round chocolate cake layers cool on a wire rack on a granite countertop. The top layer has some cracks and holes. A green box with the number 6 is in the top left corner.

Divide the batter evenly between your pans, using a kitchen scale if you have one so your layers bake evenly. Bake at 350°F, checking with a toothpick starting around the low end of the time range for your pan count. Let the layers cool in the pan for 20 to 30 minutes before turning them out onto a rack to cool completely. Frosting a warm cake is the fastest way to end up with a melted, sliding mess, so don’t rush this part.

For the frosting, beat the room temperature butter alone on high for 3 minutes before adding anything else. Dissolve your instant espresso in the warm milk or coffee, then beat it into the butter. Add the salt and powdered sugar gradually, one cup at a time, mixing on low so you don’t send sugar everywhere. Taste it. If the coffee flavor feels shy, add more espresso powder a little at a time until it tastes like mocha instead of plain chocolate frosting.

A round chocolate cake with light brown frosting sits on a white cake stand. There is a green square with the number 7 in the upper left corner.

A hand uses a spatula to spread brown frosting on a round cake placed on a white cake stand. A green box with the number 8 appears in the top left corner.

To assemble, glue your bottom layer down with a small amount of frosting so it doesn’t slide on the plate. Fill between layers with roughly a cup of frosting per layer for a 2 layer cake, or ¾ cup per layer for a 3 layer cake, then use the rest to cover the top and sides.

A piping bag adds swirls of light brown frosting to the top of a round cake on a white stand, with a green box showing the number 9 in the corner.

A hand places a coffee bean on top of a swirl of frosting on a round cake with light brown icing, displayed on a white cake stand. A green box with the number 10 appears in the upper left corner.

If you want piped swirls, save a cup of frosting for a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M tip, then finish with chocolate covered espresso beans on top.

Pro Tips for the Best Mocha Flavor

Taste your frosting before you call it done. Instant espresso brands vary in strength, so the amount that tastes right in mine might be too subtle or too strong for yours.

A slice of two-layer chocolate cake with light brown frosting and chocolate decorations is being lifted from a frosted cake on a white plate.

Storing Mocha Cake

To store: Keep the frosted cake covered at room temperature. It stays moist through day 2 and 3, so this isn’t a cake you need to rush through in one sitting.

To make ahead: Bake the cake layers up to 2 days in advance. Wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap once cool, and store them on the counter, out of direct sunlight. Frost the cake the day you plan to serve it so the buttercream stays fresh and holds its swirl. You can also make the frosting in advance, covering it with plastic wrap and storing on the counter. Be sure to beat the frosting before using it to make it fluffy and smooth.

To freeze the layers: Wrap the cooled, unfrosted cake layers individually in plastic wrap and freeze. Thaw them at room temperature while still wrapped, then frost once they’re fully thawed.

Can you freeze the frosted cake or leftover slices? Yes, though it works better for individual slices than the whole cake. Wrap slices tightly in plastic, then foil, and freeze for up to a month. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before bringing them to room temperature to serve, so the mocha buttercream doesn’t weep as it warms up.

Can you freeze the frosting on its own? You can. Store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month, then thaw it in the fridge overnight. Once it’s thawed, let it come to room temperature and rebeat it for a minute or two to bring back that smooth, spreadable texture.

A slice of chocolate layer cake with light brown frosting on a white plate, next to a glass mug of black coffee and chocolate-covered coffee beans. More cake slices are visible in the background.

Mocha Cake from Scratch FAQs

Can I make this gluten free?

Yes. I’ve made this recipe with King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour with awesome results.

Do I have to use espresso powder, or will instant coffee work?

Either works. Espresso powder gives a slightly bolder, more concentrated coffee flavor, but instant coffee granules will still get you a true coffee taste.

What if I don’t have round cake pans in multiples?

Bake in batches. The batter holds fine while the first pan bakes, so you don’t need three pans on hand to make a 3 layer cake.

If you’ve been craving coffee and chocolate together, this is the cake to make next. Bake it for a birthday, a holiday table, or honestly just because you want cake, and let me know how it turns out!