Cappuccino Cake With Cappuccino Buttercream Frosting
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I don’t know if y’all are ready for this decadent and flavorful cappuccino cake recipe. It features two layers of incredibly moist dark chocolate cake with whipped cappuccino buttercream frosting that’s served with chocolate ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.
We used to have this great restaurant in Huntsville called Darryl’s. Everyone loved that place. As a teenager, anytime homecoming, birthdays, or any other eating out occasion rolled around, we all went to Darryl’s. It got to be kind of funny because you’d show up with a date or a group of friends and it would turn out more like a class reunion with practically every other table filled with folks you know.
But my favorite thing on the menu at Darryl’s is their signature dessert: cappuccino cake. They served it cold (I think it is better that way) with a side of chocolate ice cream and generously drizzled chocolate syrup over the whole thing.
So obviously, I had to recreate the recipe and make my own version of homemade cappuccino cake. This recipe includes two layers of a deep dark chocolate cake iced with whipped cappuccino buttercream icing. Does it get any better than this? Maybe, but not right now because right now, we’re focusing on this little side of heaven.
Fortunately, we don’t need lots of ingredients to make my cappuccino cake recipe. We love to keep things simple around there, right? So we’re forgoing a cake from scratch (no need for and all that) and using dark chocolate cake mix, which is extra moist and has extra chocolate flavor thanks to the addition of sour cream and cocoa powder. Once those cakes are mixed and baked, we prepare the decadent whipped cappuccino buttercream frosting, which is made with instant coffee, butter, milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
I hope you get to make this soon. It’s so moist, so rich, and oh so good! It is definitely a showstopper cake perfect for any special occasion. Come to think of it, today seems pretty special to me, doesn’t it to you?
Recipe Ingredients
- Chocolate cake mix
- Milk
- Sour cream
- Eggs
- Dutch process cocoa powder (dark cocoa powder)
- Oil
- Butter (I prefer unsalted butter bit if you want that touch of go salted).
- Milk
- Instant coffee
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
How to Make Cappuccino Cake
In a mixing bowl, place all of your ingredients.
Mix that with an electric mixer until well blended and smooth (about 2 to 3 minutes), scraping down sides as needed.
Some folks have you add gradually but unless you’re just now joining this party, you know I’m really not a gradual person.
While that is mixing, grease two or three 8-inch round cake pans. I’m only using two.
To grease my pans I fold up a paper towel and dip it in vegetable shortening and then smear it around real good.
Instead of using flour, since this is a chocolate cake, I like to use cocoa powder. Just put a tablespoon or so in your pan and then…
Tilt your pan all around while patting it to distribute it evenly like this. Dump out excess.
Then you divide the batter evenly between your two cake pans.
This batter is going to be really thick and will likely remind you of jello.
Remember, never ever eat raw cake batter. But I don’t count licking it off the spatula as eating it.
Bake cake layers in the oven at 350 for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Note: If you are making more than two layers, check on them after 20 minutes. Mine are thicker since I’m only doing two layers so they will need to cook longer.
Once they are finished baking, remove them from the oven and let them sit in the cake pans for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, turn the cakes out and allow them to cool completely.
I like to let mine cool and then wrap them really well and refrigerate overnight for easier icing the next day.
Time to Make the Cappuccino Buttercream Frosting!
Take the instant coffee and stir it into your milk until dissolved.
This may take a minute, but you don’t have to heat your milk first though.
Place softened butter in a mixing bowl.
Beat for a minute or two, until fluffy, and then add the remaining icing ingredients.
Beat until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
Now crank up that mixer again and beat this icing until it is fluffy (5 to 7 minutes).
If you haven’t tasted this icing by now, I’d sure like to know where you get your willpower from.
This cake is best if made ahead and refrigerated until good and cold.
I know that is torture but just try it for me once, it’s totally worth the wait!
All we’re gonna do is add the icing to one cake layer…
Add the other cake layer on top…
And then cover the entire cake in the frosting.
Why, hello there! How good does this cappuccino cake look?
Serve with chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup (I used Hershey’s), and a strawberry.
Eat the strawberry last – your body might get confused and think you just finished a fruit plate!
Storage
Store the covered cake at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Recipe Notes
- You can use any dark chocolate cake mix such as Devil’s Food, dark chocolate, or even regular chocolate if you like. You can also use your favorite chocolate cake recipe if you like but I like this one because it is dense and extremely moist.
- Don’t be tempted to soften your butter in the microwave, on the stovetop, or any other trick we use to soften it when we’re in a hurry for this recipe. We really want to just leave our butter on the countertop for a few hours until it softens on its own for this recipe. Normally, I’m all about shortcuts but this one is important because we’re gonna have whipped icing in the end so bits of melted butter won’t help us achieve our purpose.
- This cake translates very well to a 9×13 baking dish and sheet cake recipe if you’d like to save some time!
- If you want to enhance the cake’s coffee flavor, you can add 2 teaspoons of instant coffee granules to the cake batter as well.
You may also enjoy these other scrumptious cake recipes:
Cherry Crumb Cake With Cake Mix
Italian Cream Cake with Pecan Cream Cheese Icing
Yellow Cake with Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Icing
Chocolate Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 heaping tablespoons dark cocoa powder plus more for dusting pans
- 1 box any flavor of chocolate cake mix
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup oil
- 3 eggs
- 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cappuccino Icing
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 cups confectioner's sugar
- Enough instant coffee granules to make three 6-oz cups of coffee
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 sticks softened butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Grease two cake pans with shortening and dust with cocoa powder.2 heaping tablespoons dark cocoa powder
- Place all the cake ingredients in a mixing bowl.2 heaping tablespoons dark cocoa powder, 1 box any flavor of chocolate cake mix, 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup oil, 3 eggs, 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Mix for about two minutes with an electric mixer (or until well blended), scraping down sides as needed.
- Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared pans and let them cook until done (about 25 minutes).
- Let them sit in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely.
Cappuccino Icing
- Stir instant coffee granules into the milk until dissolved.Enough instant coffee granules to make three 6-oz cups of coffee, 1/2 cup milk
- Place the softened butter in a mixing bowl and beat until fluffy.2 sticks softened butter
- Add all remaining ingredients and mix until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.5 cups confectioner's sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Beat with a mixer for 5 to 7 minutes or until fluffy.
- Ice between cake layers and then cover the entire cake before refrigerating. It tastes best if served cold with chocolate ice cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup (such as Hershey's).
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I baked another cake the it was HEAVENLY!! I love coffee and I love chocolate and this cake recipe is a delicious combination of both. It disappeared quickly, but thankfully I got to taste it.
I made this cake today for the first time and took it to a church dinner/fundraiser. I didn’t get to taste a single slice however. Instead of being served, the entire cake was sold at auction. I think the lady that bought it is happily eating right now. I didn’t have cake mix on hand so I baked a two layer dark chocolate cake from scratch. For the icing, I mixed two tablespoons instant coffee with 1/2 cup half and half. I only needed about 1/3 cup of the mixture. I just gradually poured it in while the mixer was running until the icing became creamy and spreadable. I also spread chocolate ganache over the top of the cake. I’ll have to bake another so my friends and I can have some. Thanks for a wonderful recipe. 🙂
Oh Krystal!! You will have to make another so you can try it!!!
I made this for my mom for her birthday and it was a huge hit! The only problem I had was the frosting 🙁 I followed your directions to the letter and it came out thick yet drippy…more glazy than anything. I set it aside, printed out your step by step WITH pictures…LOL,,,and it still came out glazy 🙁 any suggestions on what I might have done wrong??? I even let the butter sit out and soften thinking maybe it wasn’t soft enough. I still used the thick glaze, which still tasted great and mom LOVED it, but I think the buttercream fluffy frosting it was supposed to be would have been sooo much better!
Maria, most of the time folks let their butter get too soft and it make the frosting more runny. Do you think that might have been it?
Maybe….I did leave it on the counter for a couple hours before making it. I’m planning on trying it again soon for a shower…crossing my fingers it comes out perfect this time 🙂 Thanks, Christy!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I didn’t realize until now that there were others that loved Daryl’s as much as I did and lusted, searched high and low, and needed their Cappuccino Cake recipe as much as I did. 15 years later I still dreamed of this cake. We too went to Daryl’s for special occasions…especially my birthday…just so I could have there Cappuccino Cake. We drove by the site were it use to be located in Louisville Kentucky just yesterday and I mentioned to my husband that I could really use….and he finished my sentence, realizing where we were “Cappuccino Cake”! Again THANKS!!!
Making this for a co-worker’s birthday and plan to take it to work with me in the morning. I put vanilla flavoring in the cake and lived a bit dangerously and put almond flavoring in the icing. I used real butter instead of margarine and well, let us pray: Dear Lord, Help Val to keep her spoon out of the frosting until she at least gets the cake frosted and remind her that she can lick the bowl after the cake is completely frosted. Amen.
Just a follow up, cake needs to be refrigerated for optimal flavor experience. I’m guessing one of my co-workers ate almost 1/4 of the cake by himself! He was pouting because I took the last two pieces back home for my husband and son. Can’t wait to share with family!
I have this in the oven right now – it”s going to be my hubby”s birthday cake tomorrow. I can’t wait!!
To make it even more decadent, I am going to serve with Rocky Road ice cream . Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate!!
Love this cake! Made it for Valentine’s day and I also added mini chocolate chips to the top for decoration. Whole family loved it.