Espresso Fudge Cake

If you love chocolate and coffee together, this espresso fudge cake is going to be your new favorite dessert.

The coffee doesn’t make the cake taste like coffee. Instead, it makes the chocolate flavor deeper and richer.

The cake itself is soft and moist, thanks to buttermilk and a splash of hot coffee in the batter.

On top of that, there’s a whipped chocolate ganache that is light, fluffy, and easy to spread.

I finish it off with some shaved dark chocolate and a little dusting of cocoa powder for a simple, pretty look.

Why You’ll Love It

Deep Coffee Flavor – Espresso powder in both the cake and ganache brings out a rich, bold chocolate taste you will love.

Super Moist Crumb – The buttermilk, oil and hot coffee keep every slice soft, tender and never dry.

Silky Whipped Ganache – This frosting is light, fluffy and melts in your mouth like a cloud of chocolate.

Bakery Quality Look – Shaved dark chocolate and a dusting of cocoa make this cake look like it came from a fancy shop.

Recipe Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 3/4 cups Granulated Sugar
• 3/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1 tbsp Instant Espresso Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup Hot Strong Coffee

For the Whipped Ganache

• 16 oz Semisweet Chocolate, Chopped
• 2 cups Heavy Cream
• 2 tsp Instant Espresso Powder
• 1/4 tsp Fine Sea Salt

For the Finish

• 2 oz Dark Chocolate, Shaved
• 1 tsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Directions

Step 1

Place the semisweet chocolate, espresso powder and salt in a bowl. Heat the heavy cream until steaming, pour it over the chocolate and let it stand for 3 minutes before stirring until smooth. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours, until thick but not solid.

Step 2

Heat the oven to 350 F. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans, then whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Step 3

Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, then gradually whisk in the hot coffee until smooth. The batter will be thin.

Step 4

Divide the batter between the pans and bake for 28 to 33 minutes, until the centers spring back and a tester has a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out and cool completely.

Step 5

Beat the chilled ganache on medium speed just until it becomes lighter in color and holds firm, spreadable peaks. Stop beating as soon as it is fluffy to prevent a grainy texture.

Step 6

Spread whipped ganache over one cake layer, add the second layer and cover the top and sides with the remaining ganache.

Step 7

Finish the cake with shaved dark chocolate and a light dusting of cocoa powder. Let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

My Tips

Chill The Ganache At The Right Time

Start the whipped ganache before anything else so it has time to chill while your cake bakes and cools. It needs a solid 2 to 3 hours in the fridge to get thick enough.

You want it thick but not rock solid. If it sets too hard, it won’t whip up smooth and you’ll be stuck with lumps that never fully blend in.

My favorite trick here is to check it around the 2 hour mark. If it still feels loose, give it more time, but don’t leave it overnight or it will be too firm to work with.

Use Truly Hot Coffee In The Batter

The hot coffee is what blooms the cocoa powder and brings out that deep chocolate flavor. It needs to be genuinely hot, not warm, when you add it.

Pour it in slowly and whisk as you go so the batter stays smooth. It will look very thin and runny, and that is exactly how it should be.

From my experience, a thin batter is the secret to a moist, tender cake, so don’t panic and add extra flour to thicken it.

Don’t Overbeat The Whipped Ganache

When you beat the chilled ganache, watch it closely and stop the moment it turns lighter in color and holds soft peaks. This usually happens faster than you expect.

If you keep going past that point, the ganache breaks and turns grainy and dull. Once that happens, there is no fixing it.

I recommend using medium speed and stopping to check often. It is much better to underbeat slightly and give it a few extra seconds than to blow right past the perfect texture.

More Recipes

• Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes
• Silky Chocolate Mousse
• Biscoff Fudgy Brownies
• Classic Tiramisu
• Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use espresso powder, or can I leave it out?

The espresso powder is there to deepen the chocolate flavor, and it doesn’t actually make the cake taste like coffee. If you leave it out the cake will still be tasty, just a little less rich and chocolatey.

If you don’t have espresso powder, you can skip it in the batter and simply use hot strong coffee, which already brings a nice boost on its own.