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Mocha Cake with Espresso Mascarpone Whip

A rich and velvety cake that combines dark chocolate and coffee, topped with a creamy espresso mascarpone whip.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 450
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cake Ingredients
  • 1.33 cups 1 1/3 cups plain flour
  • 0.75 cups 3/4 cup dark cocoa powder, plus extra, to dust Extra cocoa powder for dusting
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp bicarb soda
  • 0.5 tsp 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 100 g 100g unsalted butter, softened
  • 90 g 90g neutral-flavoured oil (such as grapeseed or vegetable oil)
  • 200 g 200g caster sugar
  • 0.33 cups 1/3 cup (80g) brown sugar
  • 1 tbs 1 tbs vanilla bean paste
  • 2 large 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 80 g 80g Woolworths Sour Cream
  • 0.33 cups 1/3 cup (80ml) milk
  • 200 ml 200ml hot coffee Use freshly brewed hot coffee for best results.
Mascarpone Whip Ingredients
  • 300 g 300g thickened cream Using cold cream yields a sturdier whip.
  • 200 g 200g mascarpone, cold
  • 0.5 cups 1/2 cup (60g) icing sugar mixture
  • 2.5 tbs 2 1/2 tbs espresso coffee or 1/4 cup (10g) instant coffee dissolved in 1 1/2 tbs milk For a deeper coffee flavor, use instant espresso.

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/160 degrees C fan-forced. Grease base and sides of a 20cm square cake pan and line with baking paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, bicarb, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
  3. In a stand mixer, beat butter, oil, caster sugar, and brown sugar until pale and fluffy.
  4. Add vanilla and eggs, mixing well until the texture is glossy and light.
  5. Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, followed by sour cream and milk, taking care not to overwork the batter.
  6. Pour in hot coffee and mix until the batter is smooth and fragrant.
  7. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55–60 minutes, until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs.
  8. Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
Mascarpone Whip Preparation
  1. For the mascarpone whip, combine cream, mascarpone, icing sugar, and the espresso mixture in a chilled bowl and whisk until thickened and pipeable.
  2. Spread the espresso mascarpone whip over the cooled cake and dust with extra cocoa powder before serving.

Notes

Keep the cake refrigerated once frosted; the mascarpone is delicate and prefers cool air. Store covered with a cake dome or loose cling wrap for up to 3 days. You can freeze unfrosted slices wrapped tightly for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge.