Out of hundreds, even thousands of chocolate coffee cake recipes out there this one is one of my favorite by far. One bite and you will understand it. It's perfectly sweet, moist and packs a lot of chocolate flavor.
Unlike the majority of modern chocolate coffee cakes, this one has consists of just one layer and no icing. It's an old-fashioned kind of cake, with no frills but a rich chocolate flavor. It's an absolute delight to have as an accompaniment to tea or coffee.
It's important to not over-bake this cake, otherwise it will come out dry. I've made this cake more than a dozen times over the past few years and so far it hasn't been an issue - I've pulled it out after exactly 40 minutes of baking and and it was soft, delicate and moderately moist.

Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate good quality
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the garnish:
- 1/2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 tsp chocolate shavings optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Melt the chocolate using water bath method. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. Add the melted chocolate, vanilla extract, egg yolks and beat well.
- Stir in dry ingredients and milk alternately.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks are formed. Fold into the batter.
- Transfer into a greased 9" spring form and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a stick inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry.
- Let the cake cool slightly, garnish with powdered sugar and chocolate shavings (optionally), and serve.
Nutrition
Jean
Hello, just a slight problem with your Chocolate Coffee Cake recipe.
No where does it say when to add vanilla extract. It is on ingredients list though.
Happy baking.
Jean
Victor @ Taste of Artisan
Fixed. Thanks for noting.
Trâm
Hi, tks for your sharing the recipe. But I don't see coffee in the ingredients, pls advise.
Thank you
Trâm
Sorry, I saw your explanation about "coffee" below. Thank you.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan
No worries. It's a delicious cake, simple yet very tasty. I highly recommend it.
olivia
tasted great! thanks for the recipe!
Stephen
Love the chocolate cake its so moist in the middle i sometimes add orange essence
instead of vanilla essence to make a chocolate orange cake.
The other problem i find is the cake always sinks in the middle
Victor @ Taste of Artisan
Hi Stephen, baking a little longer should help with sinking in the middle. Also, try moving the baking pan lower in the oven to promote baking from the bottom, provided your oven's heating element is at the bottom.
Jade
Hi! Correct me if i'm wrong, but i can't see where the coffee is mentioned in the recipe? Looks amazing and very simple to make, so could you let me know how much coffee to put in please? TIA.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan
Hi, there is no coffee in this cake. Coffee in the name refers to what this cake is had with - coffee. Like 'tea' biscuits.
Kevin
This simple chocolate coffee cake is a real gem. The cake tasted fabulous. Many thanks for this great recipe.
victor
You are very welcome. Glad to hear that you enjoyed it.
melissa
Does this cake need to be refrigerated or will it keep at room temp?
victor
Melissa, it doesn't have to be refrigerated but I always do as it keeps better that way and tastes fresher and stays moist longer. If you don't refrigerate, keep it in a sealed container to keep it moist
Angela
Made this chocolate coffee cake today and loved it! Not too sweet and has a wonderful chocolate flavor. I used good quality 65% cocoa chocolate. I don't think it needs any cream cheese frosting.
victor
Thanks for the feedback, Angela. Good quality chocolate makes this cake shine.
Trish
Great recipe. I added cream cheese frosting on top and I think it made it taste the cake even better. I like how easy it was to make. Thanks for sharing.
victor
I hear you. Cream cheese frosting makes any cake taste better 😉
Jacob
Yum! That looks like what my grandma used to make. Plain and simple yet delicious.
John D.
Simple and tasty - my kind of cake.
Ree
Simple and delicious! Will be making again.
victor
Thank for the feedback!
Marcy
This chocolate cake reminded me the one that my grandma used to make. I never had her recipe but this one is pretty close.
Tina
This is now my favorite coffee cake recipe. Very tasty and so easy to make. My husband liked it a lot and he is a picky eater.