If you like the combination of chocolate, coffee, and liquor, these chocolate cakes belong to your recipe file. Whether you make mini cakes, one large bundt cake, cupcakes, or loaf, they're easy to make (one bowl) and incredibly moist. The crackly glaze adds another layer of yumminess, but they're also good with a dusting of powdered sugar.
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Originally published in 2012, the text and images in this post have been updated to serve you better. The recipe remains the same.
Chocolate and coffee are a magic combination and they take a simple chocolate cake recipe to the next level.
The coffee enhances the chocolate flavor without being 'a cake that tastes like coffee'. With this recipe, you'll have a faint coffee flavor from the Kahlua.
What is Kahlua?
It's one of the most popular coffee liquors and easily available in stores and online.
The strong boozy flavor evaporates during baking, leaving behind a coffee caramel tone in the cake. It adds richness and pairs wonderfully with chocolate.
For Valentine's Day these mini bundt cakes are just cute and perfect to celebrate the things we love. An ongoing romance.
Why this recipe works
- One bowl recipe: the batter is mixed in one bowl. So there's little to wash afterward! It's not only convenient but easy to make.
- Flavor and texture: the combination of chocolate and coffee is one for the books. Coffee brings out the best qualities of the cocoa powder used in this recipe and deepens the flavor. By the way, these cakes are much fudgier the next day or even the next one. They stay ridiculously moist for many days.
- Oil: this recipe uses oil instead of butter. This is good because it makes for a moister cake, and it's so much easier to mix. There's no bringing butter to room temperature, creaming, or any of those somewhat more laborious steps. Oil makes this recipe simpler and the cake lasts longer.
- Removing it from the pan: a huge deal breaker with bundt cakes is the unmolding. Pans with intricate patterns can be tricky and it's beyond frustrating to make a recipe and have it stick to the pan when unmolding it. This recipe unmolds very well.
- Storing: these mini cakes keep for a few days at room temperature and can be frozen for up to a month (wrapped separately).
Ingredient list
- Kahlua: or other coffee liqueur.
- Sugar: white or brown.
- All-purpose flour.
- Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
- Baking powder and baking soda: are used as leaveners to help the cake rise, so make sure they aren't expired.
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper.
- Milk: whole makes a richer cake but reduced in fat and almond milk can also be used.
- Vegetable oil: sunflower oil is my recommendation.
- Coffee: prepared drip, espresso, instant coffee, or any other type you have.
- Powdered sugar: also called confectioners or icing sugar, you can easily buy it online. Domino powdered sugar is a very popular one.
See the recipe card towards the end of this post for quantities.
The Kahlua glaze
This is a simple powdered sugar glaze, where said sugar is mixed with a liquid until creamy.
- Type of liquid to use: using more Kahlua makes the flavor stronger and complements the cake wonderfully. Drip coffee is another alternative, as we use in our popular Brown Butter Coffee Cake.
- Consistency: it varies with the amount of liquid you use, so you can have a runnier glaze covering more of the cake, or a thicker glaze that drips less down the sides.
Alternative glaze
Use the chocolate ganache recipe from the best chocolate bundt cake, adding a tablespoon of Kahlua for an extra dose of chocolate.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Different pans: I love mini bundts, but you can use a regular large bundt or 2 medium loaf pans. I never tried this recipe as a layer cake and I think it would be a bit too tender to fill. But it would work baked as a sheet cake.
- Preparing the pan: I brush it with soft butter (or use my hands), flouring and refrigerating the pan while you make the filling. Or use a baking spray that comes with added flour.
- Glaze: use the liquor as stated in the recipe, prepared strong coffee, or a tablespoon of each. They all work great.
- Keeping: this is a very moist cake recipe and it keeps very well at room temperature, well covered in plastic wrap. The flavor is fudgier the next day. You can freeze it for a month, wrapped first in plastic and then aluminum foil.
- Alternative liquors: a coffee liquor is what complements best this chocolate cake, but it works well with orange liquor (Cointreau, Grand Marnier), with almond liquor (such as Amaretto). And probably others I never tried. I use Kahlua because it's my favorite one, but there are other coffee liquors you can use.
Related recipes you might like:
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Kahlua Chocolate Cake
If you like the combination of chocolate, coffee, and liquor, these glazed chocolate cakes belong to your recipe file. Whether you make mini cakes, one large bundt cake, cupcakes, or loaf, they're easy to make (one bowl) and incredibly moist.
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 mini cakes
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 ¾ cups (350g) sugar
- 2 cups (270g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (80g) cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (240g) milk
- ½ cup (120g) of vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup drip (or espresso) coffee (very hot)
- ½ cup Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
For the glaze:
- 1 cup (160g) powdered sugar
- 1 or 2 tablespoons Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF /180ºC.
- Butter and flour or spray well with cooking spray, 12 mini bundt molds.
- Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. I measure everything and sift it directly over the wet ingredients.
- In a large bowl beat eggs, milk, vanilla, and oil for 1 minute.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet, ½ cup at a time, while beating on low speed. Do this slowly so the batter doesn't develop clumps.
- Heat coffee until almost boiling.
- Mix with liqueur and add slowly to the chocolate batter. The mixture will be thin.
- Fill molds up to ¾ of its full capacity. I put the batter in a glass measuring cup so it's easier to pour.
- Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes for mini bundts and 45 minutes for a big bundt.
- Cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes.
- Invert the pan and release the cakes. You might want to use a smooth-bladed knife first to make sure no bits of cake are stuck to the sides and the center tuve. If cake resists, cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting.
For the glaze:
- In a small bowl mix a cup of powdered sugar with 1 Tbs or more of coffee liqueur, depending on how runny you want your glaze to be.
- Pour glaze on top of cakes and let it drip to the sides.
Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Different pans: I love mini bundts, but you can use a regular large bundt or 2 medium loaf pans. I never tried this recipe as a layer cake and I think it would be a bit too tender to fill. But it would work baked as a sheet cake.
- Preparing the pan: I brush it with soft butter (or use my hands), flouring and refrigerating the pan while you make the filling. Or use a baking spray that comes with added flour.
- Glaze: use the liquor as stated in the recipe, prepared strong coffee, or a tablespoon of each. They all work great.
- Storing: this is a very moist cake recipe and it keeps very well at room temperature, well covered in plastic wrap. The flavor is fudgier the next day. You can freeze it for a month, wrapped first in plastic and then aluminum foil.
- Alternative liquors: a coffee liquor is what complements best this chocolate cake, but it works well with orange liquor (Cointreau, Grand Marnier), with almond liquor (such as Amaretto). And probably others I never tried. I use Kahlua because it's my favorite one, but there are other coffee liquors you can use.
- Alternative glaze: use the chocolate ganache recipe from the best chocolate bundt cake, adding a tablespoon of Kahlua for an extra dose of chocolate.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/12
- Calories: 383
- Sugar: 43.5 g
- Sodium: 301.3 mg
- Fat: 11.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 64.1 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 4.9 g
- Cholesterol: 33 mg
Keywords: chocolate kahlua cake
Adapted from Kiss My Bundt, by Christa Wilson
Jill says
How long do you bake for 6 Bundt cakes?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Jill, for 6 individual small bundts it's the same time given in the recipe card but you'll use half of the batter.