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My espresso cake features moist vanilla cake with a boozy coffee syrup. Then the whole thing is frosted in coffee buttercream and silky smooth mocha ganache. If you like coffee you'll adore this cake.

an espresso cake with Bailey's coffee syrup, vanilla and coffee buttercream and topped with coffee ganache.

I love making layer cakes for my family's birthdays. I choose Funfetti, my boyfriend like banana cake, and my Mom's favorite is this Reese's cake. My latest creation is this Espresso cake for my coffee loving cousin. It has coffee in every layer. I love the contrast of the slightly bitter coffee with the sweet frosting.

Why This Recipe Works: A Sprinkle of Food Science

Bailey's Soak: This adds great flavor to each layer. In addition, it helps keep it moist for days!
Coffee Ganache: Coffee amplifies the chocolate flavor. I want to add espresso to all my ganache for now on!
Doctored Up Cake Mix: Milk adds moisture and butter adds richness for a box mix that tastes like it came straight from a bakery!

Ingredient Notes & Shopping Tips

ingredients including butter, eggs, cake mix, milk, powdered sugar, espresso, chocolate, and Bailey's.

ingredients including butter, eggs, cake mix, milk, espresso powder, baileys, heavy cream, and chocolate.

Butter: This gives a much richer flavor than oil can alone. Use unsalted butter to avoid an overly salty cake. Also be sure it is softened. Around 1 hour at room temperature or until your finger can easily make an indent should do the trick. Short on time? Cut it into smaller pieces to speed up the process.
Milk: Use whole milk for the best results.
Espresso Powder: Grab Instant espresso powder which dissolves quickly and smoothly. Avoid instant coffee granules. I like the brand DeLallo. You can use decaf if you're sensitive to caffeine.
Bailey’s Irish Cream: Bailey's Espresso cream is fantastic in this recipe if you can find it! If you avoid alcohol you can also use Irish Cream coffee creamer. .
Chocolate: Bars melt better than chocolate chips which often contain stabilizers. I like the brand Ghirardelli.

Krystle's Tips: Steal My Culinary School Secrets

Use Room Temperature Ingredients: They'll come together easier without overmixing.
Even Layers: Struggle to eyeball if the batter in your pans is even? Me too! I like to weigh by batter for perfectly even layers every time!
Flat Layers: I like to trim mine with a cake leveler for easier stacking.
Don't Overbake: If you see a few moist crumbs (and no raw batter) your cakes are done. Baking until the toothpick is completely clean often leads to dry overbaked cakes.
Smooth Frosting: I like to slowly turn my cake on a turntable while frosting with an offset spatula.