It’s no secret that I love baking cookies. They’re quick to throw together, and I always store leftovers in the freezer for future snacking. But if I have plenty of time and a willing audience, you better bet I’m making a cake! There’s something about a slice of cake that just feels complete. This chocolate cake with coffee buttercream frosting is one of my favorite desserts to share with friends.
I came up with this dense coffee buttercream recipe years ago, and I think it balances sweetness with richness and flavor. I’m really not a fan of super sweet frosting, and this hits the spot for me.
There are a million different vegan chocolate cake recipes out there, and no doubt each of you has your go-to version. For what it’s worth, I’ve tried several different versions over the years, sometimes side-by-side for comparison, and this one, based on Joy of Cooking‘s “Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake,” has consistently turned out the best, in terms of both flavor and texture. It’s moist and chocolatey with an even crumb, and I definitely encourage you to try it out! I’ve adapted it here to create 2 9″ layers, so this is definitely a recipe for a crowd.
If you want to frost your cake the way I did here, check out this tutorial for a pretty petal effect. It’s really easy, and I think that small bit of extra effort toward presentation goes a long way! Just keep a couple of tips in mind. First, save yourself a world of frustration by doing a crumb coat before you start decorating. Second, if you don’t have a tiny spatula to spread your dots, you can use a small spoon instead. Lastly, keep in mind that if your frosting gets a little too soft as you work your way around the sides of the cake, you should stick your pastry bag in the fridge and walk away for 10 minutes before continuing. Be patient, and you’ll have a beautiful cake in no time!
- 3 c all-purpose flour
- 2¼ c sugar
- ¾ c cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 c cold water or coffee
- ½ c vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 4 tsp vanilla
- Coffee Buttercream Frosting
- ½ c shortening
- ½ c vegan butter
- 5 c powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 Tbsp vegan milk
- up to ¼ c plain, unsweetened vegan milk
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Grease and flour two 9″ cake pans and line with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together water or coffee, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.
- Stir until the dry mixture is just moistened; some lumps are okay. The batter will turn lighter in color.
- Pour quickly into prepared pans.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes.
- Loosen sides of cake from pans, then flip them out of the pans and onto cooling racks.
- Cool completely before frosting.
- Meanwhile, prepare frosting.
- Cream shortening and butter.
- Add powdered sugar, coffee mixture, and 1 tablespoon vegan milk; beat with a fork until blended.
- Add more vegan milk, a tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Use less milk for dense frosting, and more for a whipped consistency. If you'd like it to be particularly fluffy, beat with a hand mixer instead.
- Frost and decorate cake as desired.
Obviously, don’t forget to fold your heart in.
It’s been such a great month, y’all! I won’t be blogging at this maniacal, every-day rate until next year, but I’ll still be posting recipes regularly. I’ve genuinely loved reading all of your comments, and hope y’all stick around in the months to come. Stay vegan!
23 comments
Sara says:
Sep 30, 2013
This looks like such a lovely cake, I wish I had a piece right now!
Adaora says:
Sep 30, 2013
Good god ;;_;;
Kristin says:
Sep 30, 2013
Drooling!!
Shannon says:
Sep 30, 2013
This cake is so cute! I love the way it’s decorated. And you can’t go wrong with chocolate and coffee!
Kim McCoy says:
Sep 30, 2013
Wow, this looks really delicious!! You did a beautiful job on the frosting, too. Thank you for providing the tutorial link and the tip about a crumb coat! I had never heard of that before, but it sounds like a great idea.
Kelly G. says:
Sep 30, 2013
Wow. Just, WOW.
Luke says:
Oct 1, 2013
It is not good for me to see this! Or maybe it is! I’m going to try bribe my wife to make it.
Kristen Kelley says:
Oct 1, 2013
Coffee buttercream on chocolate cake sounds like a slice of heaven. Pun intended
tinajoan says:
Oct 1, 2013
My birthday is in 10 days and THIS IS MY CAKE. Can’t wait to make it for my family and friends (and myself, obviously!).
Andrea says:
Oct 5, 2013
Absolutely excellent cake, great flavor and structure. Wish I could find a non-chocolate cake that is this good. I had a feeling it would work when I read your comments about your experimenting with so many different recipes. Thanks.
El says:
Oct 6, 2013
Can this recipe be used for cupcakes?
Lisa says:
Oct 7, 2013
Huh! Who knew?! I’ve been making vegan chocolate cake for decades & never knew it! This is very, very similar (same ingredients, slightly different proportions) to my grandmother’s chocolate cake. Something to consider…I’ve always combined the cocoa powder, shortening (in my case) and water in a glass bowl. I microwave it to really “cook” the cocoa to really give the flavor depth. I allow this mixture to cool before combining with the dry ingredients. No wonder you’ve liked this recipe so much. I was searching “Vegan Desserts” & came across this recipe…after literally dozens of recipes containing ingredients I had never heard of (or could probably even locate in my very rural area). How refreshing to be able to have a tried & true recipe that when someone asks “Can you do something vegan?” I can say, “Absolutely!” Thanks for the inspirations (& relief) Have a great day!
Erika says:
Oct 8, 2013
Oh my god you sold me on this cake with that first shot! Yum. How sturdy was this cake? One time I accidentally left an egg out of Martha Stewart’s 1-bowl chocolate cake (making it unintentionally vegan) and it was delicious, but a little delicate for cutting/stacking. Did this hold up well as a layer cake?
Johanna says:
Oct 9, 2013
I’ve only ever used Isa Moskowitz’s off Post Punk Kitchen, but I’m going to have to try yours, for sure.
Lizzi says:
Oct 13, 2013
Fantastic cake – thank you so much for sharing it. I made it for a charity bake sale and the non-vegans snapped it up, ahead of all the egg/dairy cakes!
Laura says:
Oct 29, 2013
Oh wow! Looks so amazing! Definitely need to try this!
Tiana Gustafson says:
Nov 18, 2013
Thank you so much for this amazing looking recipe! I love healthy recipes and I will look forward to trying it out and sharing it with my followers at TianaGustafson.com. As Arnold says “I’ll be back”
Thanks again!
Ava says:
Nov 29, 2013
I made this recipe today! I love it but I have some notes- if you use coffee in the cake part of the recipe instead of water, it will taste really coffee-ish and really mutes the chocolate flavor. Some people might not like the coffee on coffee contrast(between the frosting and the cake). I enjoy it because I’m a coffee fanatic lol but many people I know would find it overwhelming. Next time I will try baking it with the water option instead. Also the recipe author says not to worry about any little lumps in the cake batter- I ignored the small ones and it is notable when eating the cake in an unpleasant way (texture-wise, as I like my cake to be smooth and fluffy) so I would recommend making sure it is lump free before pouring into pans. All in all this is a really great recipe, and I will make it again. Thanks for sharing!
MarkGee says:
Dec 4, 2013
where’s the recipe for the frosting?
claryn says:
Dec 4, 2013
It’s in there, Mark: check out steps 11-14 in the recipe!
J says:
Dec 21, 2013
I made 1/2 the recipe for cupcakes w/ a different frosting (whipped chocolate w/ coconut cream). The cake recipe is superb, a beautiful dark chocolate, light, extremely moist. Doesn’t taste vegan at all, but just like a full-buttery-fat chocolate cake. Am going to make 1/2 the recipe again tomorrow into a small layer cake. Yummm….
Michelle Wertman says:
Mar 19, 2014
I made this cake following your recipe exactly, except for on small detail: I used a Keurig K-Cup instead of instant coffee in the frosting. This gave it a lighter color than yours, and a silent crunch. The crunch reminds me of chocolate covered espresso beans!
I did half water and half coffee in the cake batter =D
Thank you for this awesome recipe. I am having a dinner party and cannot wait to have my guests try it. It is superb!
claryn says:
Mar 26, 2014
Thanks for the tips and the kind words, Michelle.