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Chocolate Mocha Cake (Dairy Free)

A deeply chocolatey, coffee-forward cake with a moist crumb, coffee-rum syrup and rich dark chocolate espresso frosting. Dairy-free without tasting like a compromise.
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Prep Time:30 minutes
Cook Time:40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Keyword: chocolate coffee cake, chocolate espresso cake, chocolate mocha cake, coffee rum cake, dairy free cake, dairy free chocolate cake, dairy free mocha cake, dark chocolate frosting, espresso chocolate cake, mocha cake
Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients

Chocolate Mocha Cake

  • 180 g plain flour
  • 45 g Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 180 g light brown sugar
  • 40 g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 120 ml neutral oil
  • 180 ml strong espresso or very strong coffee cooled
  • 120 ml unsweetened oat milk or almond milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp coffee liqueur or dark rum optional

Coffee Rum Syrup

  • 75 ml strong espresso
  • 50 g brown sugar
  • 30 ml dark rum
  • Pinch of salt

Dairy Free Chocolate Mocha Frosting

  • 150 g dairy-free dark chocolate 60–70%
  • 80 g dairy-free baking block
  • 60 G icing sugar
  • 30 ml strong espresso cooled
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • 25 ml coffee liqueur optional

Instructions

Chocolate Mocha Cake

  1. Heat the oven to 170°C fan / 190°C conventional. Grease and line with baking paper a 20 cm square tin.
  2. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugars, bicarbonate, baking powder and salt.
  3. In another bowl whisk the eggs, oil, coffee, dairy-free milk, vanilla and optional alcohol. Pour into the dry ingredients and whisk just until smooth. It will be a fairly loose batter.
  4. Pour into the tin and bake for approximately 35–42 minutes, until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs rather than wet batter.
  5. Cool for 10–15 minutes in the tin, then turn out and cool completely.

Coffee Rum Syrup

  1. Heat the espresso and sugar until dissolved. Cool slightly, then stir in the rum and salt.
  2. Poke the warm cake lightly with a skewer and gently pour syrup over the warm cake.

Dairy Free Chocolate Mocha Frosting

  1. Melt the chocolate and allow it to cool until barely warm.
  2. Beat the dairy-free baking block until smooth and slightly aerated. Beat in the icing sugar, vanilla and salt.
  3. Beat in the cooled espresso a little at a time, then the melted chocolate. Add the coffee liqueur last, if using.