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Amazing Chocolate Cake with Coffee Buttercream

This Amazing Chocolate Cake with Coffee Buttercream combines rich chocolate with invigorating coffee, making it perfect for any celebration or as a delightful dessert after dinner.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 26 minutes
Total Time 56 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 450
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Cake
  • 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1¾ cups granulated sugar (+2 tablespoons)
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 2¼ tsp baking soda
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (+2 tablespoons)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1½ cups hot brewed coffee
  • ¾ cup canola oil (or sunflower oil)
  • ¾ cup milk of choice (regular or dairy-free)
  • 1½ tsp vanilla extract
For the Coffee Buttercream
  • 1¾ cups vegetable shortening (softened; regular or dairy-free)
  • 3½-4 cups icing sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp instant espresso powder
  • 1-2 tbsp milk of choice or brewed coffee (ONLY AS NEEDED)

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare three 8-inch round cake pans. Spray the inside with cooking spray, then cut round pieces of parchment paper to fit in the bottoms of each pan.
  2. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
  3. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, oil, and milk to the dry ingredients. Pour in the hot coffee and mix until the batter is smooth.
  4. Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared cake pans.
Baking
  1. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20–26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  2. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes. Run a butter knife around the sides of each cake to loosen it from the pan, and flip them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Making the Coffee Buttercream
  1. In a bowl of a standing mixer or with a handheld mixer, beat the vegetable shortening until it’s smooth.
  2. Add in the vanilla extract and espresso powder. Gradually add the icing sugar, one-fourth cup at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
  3. If the buttercream is too thick, add milk or brewed coffee one tablespoon at a time. If it’s too thin, add more icing sugar, one-fourth cup at a time.
Assembly
  1. Once the cakes have cooled completely, assemble them with the coffee buttercream and enjoy!

Notes

Serve at room temperature, and enjoy it plain or with extra coffee buttercream on top, sprinkled with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings. Make sure your eggs and milk are at room temperature for better mixing. Measure ingredients accurately for even baking, and do not overmix the batter.