This makes me happy – Chocolate Espresso Cake with Rosewater Buttercream. How could it not when it looks so sweet? Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and whether you are planning a romantic night with your sweetie or a fun single girl’s night in, nothing says I love you like a sweet little chocolate cake baked by you!
I’m a big fan of showing love for others by making something special in the kitchen! If you know me or follow along on the blog, you’ll know this too. I can’t think of anything more special than spending time preparing a favourite dish (or treat) for someone you care about and then sharing it together (perhaps over a glass of nice wine)! It’s the little things that matter, the small details that show you care; like remembering a favourite dish or flavour, the first dinner date out, or the smells/flavours of a place you’ve travelled together.
Okay, okay on to the cake; I love this cake! It’s light and moist because of the sour cream and espresso. The rich chocolate is balanced with the floral extract of rosewater, reminding me of my beloved travels through Morocco and Europe. I do have to admit that I didn’t make my coffee strong enough to taste through the rich cocoa. Next time I’ll make sure to brew my coffee extra, extra strong.
I’ve almost eaten this cake entirely by myself! Thank goodness I decided to make a mini (6 inch) cake 😉 Every bite begs me to take one more, I start with a small slice and end with one more! I know this will become a favourite cake recipe for you too. If you don’t make this Espresso Cake with Rosewater Buttercream for Valentine’s Day then bookmark it for your next special occasion. You can easily double the recipe and make a large cake to feed a crowd, that’s if you’re worried it will be too small (just be warned you’ll eat all of it, so leave room for dessert).
The secret ingredient is always love!
Happy Valentine’s Day
xoxo
Mini Espresso Cake with Rosewater Buttercream
This 6″ mini cake is light and moist from the sour cream and espresso. It’s rich with chocolate and balanced with the floral extract of rosewater in the buttercream icing. This is special dessert perfect for sharing (4 people).
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 1- 6 inch cake 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Persian
Ingredients
- Cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sifted dark cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup brewed espresso or extra strong coffee
- Icing
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups sifted icing sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon rosewater extract
- 2–3 Tablespoons full milk or whipping cream
- 1 drop red food colouring
Instructions
- Brew your coffee or espresso and bring to room temperature (make it extra strong), set aside.
- Line two 6 inch round cake pans with parchment paper and set aside (grease the sides with oil).
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, sour cream and vanilla extract. Beat until well incorporated and pale in colour.
- In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
- Add your dry ingredients to your butter mixture, alternating with the brewed coffee making 2 additions.
- Pour batter into prepared pans, do your best to divide the batter evenly between the two pans (this is to ensure even baking for each cake). Place in the center of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool on rack for 5-10 minutes and then place the cakes (in pans) into the freezer. Meanwhile make your icing.
- In a large mixing bowl beat butter, icing sugar, milk and rosewater extract until smooth and fluffy. Add one drop of red food colouring and beat until pale pink. Set aside.
- Take out cakes from the freezer and carefully remove from the pans.
- Add approximately a tablespoon of icing to the center of your cake stand (this is so your cake won’t slide around when you are building it or cutting, etc). Place one of the cakes on top and press down. Spread a layer of icing on top of the cake and then carefully place the second cake on top. Add more icing to the top layer of the cake.
Notes
Freezing the cake helps limit the crumbs while building and icing the cake. A hot/warm cake from the oven crumbs easily and is more difficult to build.
Use a pastry brush to brush away crumbs while building your cake.
This cake is super moist, do your best to not overbake it. It will last you 3 days without drying out if you don’t overbake it.
If using real flowers on your cake remember to use pesticide-free and never stick the stems directly into the icing.
You can make the cake ahead of time and freeze for up to a week. Make icing the day of and ice the cake partially frozen.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving of 8
- Calories: 607
- Sugar: 76.9g
- Sodium: 337mg
- Fat: 27.3g
- Saturated Fat: 17g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 91.7g
- Fiber: 1.2g
- Protein: 3.8g
- Cholesterol: 91mg
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Chocolate Cupcake with Strawberry Swiss Meringue Icing
This cake looks absolutely beautiful and I’m sure it’s delicious too. Are 6″ pans hard to find?
Thanks Cathy! No 6″ pans shouldn’t be hard to find at all. If you’re using a larger cake pan (i.e. 10″), just do a single layer instead of two layers 🙂
I just made this cake…not being the greatest baker , it turned out great! Can’t wait for the guests to try it! I did double the recipe and found that I had a lot of extra icing, next time I don’t think I will double that part. I couldn’t find the rose water but just used vanilla instead.
★★★★★
So glad to hear it turned out and you were happy with it! Hope your guests enjoyed the cake 🙂
Hi Alex! I’m dying to make this cake, my friend made it and it was delicious!! One question I have is, Can the batter be made the night before and put in the fridge? I love your work…keep up the great posts!
★★★★★
Hi Julia, yes you absolutely can! Just make sure you don’t overmix the batter in the process and be sure to bring the batter back to room temperature before you bake it! You can also freeze the batter for upto a month. Happy Baking 🙂
Which type of rose flavoring is best? You state Rose Water Extract, but there is nothing of the sort; it’s either rose extract for baking or rose water? I’m looking to bake this for Mother’s Day. Thank you.
Hi Crystal, what a lovely treat to bake for your mom! The extract I use is rosewater extract. It’s by Loretta in a 100ml bottle. If you can’t find it I’d suggest using rose extract. Let me know how the cake turns out! Happy baking.