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slice of cake on a plate with a fork

Cappuccino Cake

This cappuccino cake is soft and moist and packed with delicious espresso flavor in every bite.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 10
Author Kelsie

Ingredients

Cake layers

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 large egg whites
  • 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk*

Filling and frosting

  • 3 ounces white chocolate finely chopped
  • 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 5 to 8 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 to 5 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
  • white chocolate curls for garnish optional

Instructions

Cake layers

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment, spray the parchment, and spray the paper. Set pans aside.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. (These are your dry ingredients.) Set aside.
  3. Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium until fluffy and pale yellow in color, about 5 minutes. (Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.)
  4. Beat in the egg whites, espresso powder, and vanilla to combine.
  5. Turn mixer to low and beat in half of the dry ingredients followed by half of the buttermilk. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  6. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients, then the remaining buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated. You don’t want to over-mix your batter or your cake layers could turn out tough or dense.
  7. Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake layers comes out clean.
  8. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then gently remove from the pans. Cool cake layers completely on a wire rack before frosting them.

Filling and frosting

  1. Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat at 50% power in 15-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
  2. Place the butter in a medium mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until very smooth. Add 5 tablespoons of milk, the vanilla, and salt and beat to combine.
  3. With mixer on low, gradually beat in 5 cups of powdered sugar. Mix in the white chocolate.
  4. Turn mixer to medium and beat until frosting is smooth. Add add additional powdered sugar if frosting is too thin; if it’s too thick add additional milk.
  5. Transfer about 3/4 of a cup to another bowl (this is your filling).
  6. Add the espresso powder to the frosting that remains in the first bowl. Pour a teaspoon of milk on top of the powder (to help the powder dissolve) and beat on high until the espresso powder is incorporated.
  7. Keep beating until most of the espresso powder is mostly dissolved so your frosting isn’t gritty.
  8. If your frosting is thin after adding the extra milk, add a little more powdered sugar to thicken it. Transfer about 1/2 cup of frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.
  9. Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or cardboard cake circle. Pipe a circle of frosting around the edge of the cake. Spread the filling inside the circle.
  10. Top with a second cake layer, then frost the cake. Decorate with white chocolate curls, or as desired. Serve.
  11. Uneaten cappuccino cake can be stored at room temperature, covered, for 2 to 3 days or in the fridge, covered, for 3 or 4 days. (I think it tastes best at room temp so I recommend setting refrigerated slices on the counter for a bit to warm up!)
  12. You can also freeze individual slices, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 months.

Recipe Notes

  • *You can substitute 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar. Mix them together and allow to sit for 5 minutes before using.
  • I don’t recommend using 9-inch cake pans because the layers will be very thin.
  • To make a little less work for yourself, skip making a separate filling. Spread the frosting between the cake layers, then frost your cake as normal.
  • If you don’t have a piping bag and tips, you can just spread the filling over the cake layer, leaving a 1/2-inch perimeter around the edge. That will prevent your filling from oozing out into the frosting on the outside of the cake.
  • See the body of this post for step by step photos.