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This Kahlua Coffee Chocolate Layer Cake is made with a moist chocolate Kahlua cake covered in Kahlua coffee frosting! It’s seriously so good – you won’t want to share!
Table of Contents
Kahlua Coffee Chocolate Layer Cake
So this past weekend the hubs and I went and looked at some houses. We’ve been considering moving within the area for a while now, but haven’t found the right thing. We’d been looking around on our own and since we haven’t had any luck, we decided to try working with a real estate agent that the hubs knows.
Well we were out looking at some homes Sunday afternoon and it started getting a little late. We knew it could go later, so we brought everything for my evening progesterone shot (for our IVF treatment) with us just in case.
As luck would have it, 6 PM came rolling around and we got the privilege of not only doing our shot while out and about for the first time, but in a new house that was still under construction. We were looking at the house with our real estate agent and the sales person when we excused ourselves to shut ourselves into a room filled with nails, dust, wood and cardboard and try to give me a safe and sanitary shot in the rear/hip. A bit comical actually!
Fortunately the shot went well. 🙂 Our real estate agent knows about our IVF, so it was fine. But still not something you do everyday!
Something I would like to do everyday, however, is eat this cake. Oh my goodness, the flavors! I can’t even handle how good it all is together. You take a bite and your eyes basically roll back into your head because you just can’t deal any other way.
The chocolate cake is richly chocolatey and enhanced by coffee in the batter and 1/2 a cup of Kahlua. Plus, it’s pretty easy to put together. You don’t even need to bust out your mixer if you don’t want to. Just one bowl and a whisk will do the job!
The frosting is a variation of my buttercream with some Kahlua and espresso. Again, the flavor is perfection! And it’s also nice and straight forward to make. You’ve got your butter and shortening (you can always use butter to replace the shortening if you prefer – read why I use it in this post – Vanilla Buttercream Frosting) and powdered sugar first. They form the base of the frosting and to that you add the Kahlua and espresso. You’ll want to heat up the Kahlua a bit and then dissolve the espresso in it and use that to flavor the frosting and thin it out to the right frosting consistency.
Once you’ve got your cakes and frosting, whip the cake together and dig in as fast as you can! This cake is full of moisture, so soft and flavorful – it’s truly delicious! If you have any love for coffee, Kahlua and chocolate, it’s a must try!
Watch How To Make It
SHOP THE RECIPE
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Kahlua Coffee Chocolate Layer Cake
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Total Time: 57 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 Slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Kahlua Coffee Chocolate Layer Cake is made with a moist chocolate Kahlua cake covered in Kahlua coffee frosting! It’s seriously so good – you won’t want to share!
Ingredients
CHOCOLATE KAHLUA CAKE
- 2 cups (260g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 3/4 cup (85g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (180ml) milk
- 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (120ml) Kahlua
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (180ml) hot coffee
KAHLUA COFFEE FROSTING
- 7 tbsp (75ml) Kahlua
- 3 tbsp instant espresso powder
- 1 1/2 cups (336g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (236g) shortening
- 10 1/4 cups (1208g) powdered sugar
- Chocolate jimmie sprinkles
Instructions
1. Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 300°F (148°C).
2. Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl and combine.
3. Add the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, Kahlua and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Add the coffee to the cake batter and mix well. Batter will be very thin.
5. Divide the batter evenly between cake pans and bake for 32-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
6. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
7. To make the frosting, heat the Kahlua until it just begins to boil, then add the espresso. Stir until dissolved.
8. In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter and shortening until smooth.
9. Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
10. Add about half of the Kahlua mixture and mix until smooth.
11. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
12. Add additional Kahlua mixture until the frosting is the right consistency. If needed, refer to my tutorial on how to get the right frosting consistency.
13. To build the cake, cut the domes off the top of each cake so they are flat.
14. Put the first cake layer on a serving plate and top with 1 cup of frosting. Spread into an even layer.
15. Add the second layer of cake, another cup of frosting and then top the cake with the final layer of cake.
16. Frost the outside of the cake. Use my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake, if desired. Use an icing smoother/decorating comb tool like this one to add a pattern on the sides of the cake.
17. Press some sprinkles into the bottom of the sides of the cake.
18. Pipe some swirls around the top edge of the cake (I use Ateco icing tip #844) and add a few additional sprinkles, then serve.
19. Store the cake in an air tight container. Cake is best for 2-3 days.
Notes
If you’d like a non-alcoholic version of this cake, I’d suggest referring to this chocolate cake. It’s the one that was altered to make this cake and there are several changes that had to be made for the Kahlua cake. You can use regular cocoa and coffee instead of water, like is used in this cake. For the frosting, replace the Kahlua with water and add an additional tablespoon or two of espresso powder, depending on how strong of a coffee flavor you want.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 1089
- Sugar: 121 g
- Sodium: 528.9 mg
- Fat: 56.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 141.1 g
- Protein: 5.8 g
- Cholesterol: 94.1 mg
Enjoy!
Hello.. I would like to make a 10 inch cake version of this.. Any suggestions?
I haven’t made the cake as a 10 inch, but I would think you would probably want to make 1 ½ recipes worth of the cake.
Hey so is it really 10 cups of powdered sugar?
Yes, it is. You can read more about how I make my frosting and why here.
What is the nutrition facts for the kahlua coffee chocolate cake with kahlua frosting
I don’t know, but there are plenty of calculators online you could use.
the cake part turned out great. But 10 1/2 cups of icing sugar for frosting. WHAT??
way too much fat butter and shortening.
I bake alot and never seen recipes like that
Hello. Tried your cake recipe tonight. I have a few questions. When you say tbsp. are you saying tablespoon or teaspoon? I always thought an L had to be in there for tablespoon and tsp was for teaspoon. Also, how the heck did you get those sprinkles on the bottom of the cake?? Everything I tried didn’t work out and they ended up all over the floor. Thanks for the recipe.
tbsp = tablespoon
tsp = teaspoon
For the sprinkles, I just press them into the sides. They do tend to make a mess as not all of them stick. I grab a handful at a time and go for it. Try putting a cookie sheet under the cake while you do it – it’ll keep the sprinkles more contained. Also, this frosting is a crusting buttercream, so you want to add the sprinkles right away or they won’t stick.
I’m excited to try this! Is the coffee for the cake batter hot or at room temperature?
Either is fine, actually.
Hi, I was just wondering if you can replace the shortening with butter?
In Australia we only get Copha which I personally don’t like unless you go to a bake shop which can be a bit of a hassle, as it usually takes about half an hour to be served.
Yes, you can use butter instead.
Hi! I am going to be trying this for my boss’s birthday and am so excited! I am short on time, however, and although I am making the frosting from scratch I don’t have all of the ingredients for the cake and don’t really have time to stop at the store. I luckily already have all of the ingredients for the frosting. Would I be able to use box cake mix and add Kahlua? Then bake as directed on the box? Or would I compensate with the baking time for the added liquid of the Kahlua?
I really look forward to making this! Thank you! 🙂
I really don’t use many box mixes and haven’t ever tried adding Kahlua so I’mn ot entirely sure how it would affect baking. It be worth trying though. I hope you enjoy it!
I have to agree with the comments above about the baking time. i followed the recipe to a t and at that low temperature I had to add about 12 minutes of baking time. It is a lovely dense, moist cake, and I did not find it too sweet as mentioned in a previous comment. But at 300 this recipe will not be done in 32-35. Love the frosting!
I made this cake for a friend’s retirement party, and all I can say is ‘amazing’! The cake was moist and the buttercream was incredible. Everyone loved it! One guest asked which bakery it was purchaced from. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. The recipes are well written and easy to follow (and I watched your videos) Thanks for making me look like a professional!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Sandy!
Cake looks awesome. Can I make this in a bundt pan?
I haven’t tried it, so I’m not sure.
Can I freeze this cake?
I made this Kalua chocolate layer cake yesterday and I was so disappointed. It looked beautiful and ehen sliced looked gorgeous. However, way too sweet. The topping and filling afte being in the fridge has almost a fudge consistency. Too sweet! However, the chocolate cake tasted delicious. Would not recommend if you don’t like extremely rich and sweet.
Hi about to bake it but can I clarify, is the 3/4 cup coffee about 3 double shots of espresso? Only have two cake pans so how’ve long should I bake for??
I’m not sure of the amount of espresso for the amount of coffee. You do want to have a full 3/4 cup of liquid though, however you decide to add the coffee.
Not sure of the exact baking time with two pans. Maybe 40-45 minutes? You’ll want to be sure to check it along the way so as not to over bake it.
I’ve made this cake three times and each one has been an all out hit. It is just plain delicious. It’s very rich, but somehow manages to disappear in a few days.
Also I’ve frozen half of one with no problem. This is a winner!
Awesome! So glad you enjoy it!
Lindsay, thank you so much, what a wonderful cake, the coffee flavor truly comes out, and is great with the chocolate. The cake itself was perfect, no problem at all with them coming out of the pans, step by step everything went exactly as you said. Now I’m pretty good with an icing bag, give me a cupcake and watch me shine, but smooth icing on a cake and I’m a complete spaz. So i throughly read your icing tutorial, I bought the same scraper and icing tip. I was confident and ready and then I was broad sided. I thought I had the right consistency, I really did. I think i was on the thick side. and it all went south when I was using the icing tip, I had to squeeze so hard, the tip blew out. It was actually kinda funny. But that lil metal scraper really helped me out, and I got it almost smooth. In the end it was presentable, didn’t nearly look as good as yours, and didn’t look like it was made by a kindergartener, somewhere in between. But i will forge ahead and not give up with my future endeavors!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Getting frosting consistency right can take a little practice, but it sounds like it went alright. I’ve certainly had my share of funny things happening. 🙂