Cappuccino Cake
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Incredibly moist Dark Chocolate Cake iced with a Whipped Cappuccino Buttercream icing and served with chocolate ice cream drizzled with chocolate syrup…
We used to have this great restaurant in Huntsville called Darryl’s. Everyone loved that place. As a teenager, anytime homecoming, birthdays, or any other eating out occasion rolled around, we all went to Darryl’s. It got to be kind of funny because you’d show up with a date or a group of friends and it would turn out more like a class reunion with practically every other table filled with folks you know.
Unfortunately, Darryl’s closed a good while back. There is only one remaining in North Carolina, but I live in Alabama so I’ve spend over ten years pining away for my very favorite thing on their menu – Cappuccino Cake.
Cappuccino Cake was one of their signature desserts and they always brought out a huge wedge of it for birthdays and special events. My sister got her first job working there as a hostess and we’d never been more proud of her than when we’d come home on the rare occasion and find an entire cappuccino cake in our refrigerator! They served it cold (I think it is better that way) with a side of chocolate ice cream and generously drizzled chocolate syrup over the whole thing.
This is a deep dark chocolate cake iced with a whipped cappuccino buttercream icing. Does it get any better than this? Maybe, but not right now because right now, we’re focusing on this little side of heaven 
.
After pining away for over a decade, I decided it couldn’t be that difficult to duplicate the recipe so I set out to do just that. You can’t find a copy anywhere on the internet so I went by memory and a basic starting point of dark chocolate cake, coffee infused buttercream – and we have a winner. We have grand prize winner. This puppy deserves one of those 6 foot tall trophies.
If I didn’t share this recipe I could retire and just bake Cappuccino cakes the rest of my life. But it’s not nice not to share recipes and I don’t really want to wash that many dishes.
I hope you get to make this soon. It is definitely a showstopper cake perfect for any special occasion.
Come to think of it, today seems pretty special to me, doesn’t it to you?
For the cake part, you’ll need:
Chocolate Cake Mix*, milk, sour cream, eggs, dutch process cocoa powder (dark cocoa powder), and oil.
*You can use any dark chocolate cake mix such as devil’s food, dark chocolate, or even regular chocolate if you like. You can also use your favorite chocolate cake recipe if you like but I like this one because it is dense and extremely moist.
In a mixing bowl, place all of your ingredients.
Mix that with an electric mixer until well blended and smooth, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down sides as needed.
Some folks have you add gradually but unless you’re just now joining this party, you know I’m really not a gradual person.
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While that is mixing, grease two or three 8 inch round cake pans. I’m only using two.
To grease my pans I fold up a paper towel and dip it in vegetable shortening and then smear it around real good.
Instead of flouring our pans, since this is a chocolate cake, I like to use cocoa powder. Just put a tablespoon or so in your pan and then…
tilt your pan all around while patting it to distribute it evenly like this.
Dump excess out into the trash or back yard. Squirrels need chocolate too. Just kidding. It may be bad for squirrels and then I’d get all sorts of squirrel rights activists boycotting my website and such, which is utterly ridiculous considering I’m practically running a squirrel wildlife refuge here at my house considering I have two of the biggest pecan trees you’ve ever seen in my yard but have gotten a grand total of two pecans in the past three years. The squirrels sure are plump though. And happy. In fact, I don’t think they could be any happier unless I started giving them chocolate…
Then you divide the batter evenly between your two baking pans.
This batter is going to be really thick and will likely remind you of jello.
Remember, never ever eat raw cake batter.
But I don’t count licking it off the spatula as eating it.
So many things are all about perspective…
~grins~
Bake cake layers in the oven at 350 for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Note: If you are making more than two layers, check on them after twenty minutes. Mine are thicker since I’m only doing two layers so they will need to cook longer.
Once they are finished baking, remove from oven and let sit in the cake pans for ten minutes.
After ten minutes, turn cakes out and allow to cool completely.
I like to let mine cool and then wrap them really well and refrigerate overnight for easier icing the next day
Time to make Cappuccino Buttercream Icing!
You’ll need: Butter, milk, instant coffee, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
I only use instant coffee for recipes such as this so I got those neat little packets that have a sleeve you open for each cup. They were just $1.00 for a box of seven so that seemed like a pretty good deal to me and my instant coffee stays fresh for whenever I need it.
When it comes to my daily coffee, I need the hard stuff. The real stuff. I’m talking coffee so strong you’d have to put quarters on your eyelids if you wanted them to shut anytime in the next eight hours.
Take the instant coffee and stir it into your milk until dissolved.
This may take a minute.
You don’t have to heat your milk first though.
Place your well softened butter in a mixing bowl.
Important: Don’t be tempted to soften your butter in the microwave, on the stovetop, or any other trick we use to soften it when we’re in a hurry for this recipe. We really want to just leave our butter on the countertop for a few hours until it softens on it’s own for this recipe. Normally, I’m all about shortcuts but this one is important because we’re gonna have us a whipped icing in the end so bits of melted butter won’t help us achieve our purpose
Beat for a minute or two, until fluffy like this.
Add in all other icing ingredients.
and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed (like in this picture)
Now crank up that mixer again and beat this icing until it is fluffy, 5-7 minutes.
If you haven’t tasted this icing by now, I’d sure like to know where you get your willpower from.
Time to ice the cake!
This cake is best if made ahead and refrigerated until good and cold.
I know that is torture but just try it for me once, it’s totally worth the wait!
Serve with chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup (I used Hershey’s) and a strawberry.
Eat the strawberry last – your body might get confused and think you just finished a fruit plate
Ingredients Instructions
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Posted by Christy Jordan
on Jan 16 2012. Filed under Cake, Dessert.
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Christy, I made this cake for church potluck and it was a big hit. Just delicious. The icing amazing. My sister was visiting for the weekend and said this is a keeper. She took some to her husband, who is not a coffee fan and he liked it. Best chocolate I have seen in awhile. And so easy. Thanks for the recipe.
This also works great as cupcakes! I wanted to make the cake for work but needed something that would appeal to coffee and non-coffee people. I decided if I made it into cupcakes, I could frost most with the coffee icing and a few with chocolate. They were a HUGE hit!! I refrigerated the frosted cupcakes overnight and they were absolutely wonderful!! Definitely a keeper!
How long did you back the cupcakes, Yvonne?
About 17-18 minutes was all it took. And they cooled quicker so I could frost sooner too.
Guess my icing did not turn out right. Must of not had good instant coffee. But cake part was wonderful!
Some times any icing can turn out a little runny if you just let it sit in the fridge for a little bit it will thicken up a bit!
This Cake is Awesome! The Icing was My Favorite Part! It was Easy to make and a big hit at our house this is definitely my new favorite! Will be making this often and making nanny nanny boo boo faces at Matt since he cant have it!
I’m sooooo thrilled to have found this! I live in NC and I LOVED Darryls..so upset they are gone! One of my favorite things was this cake!! I’ve searched and searached for this recipe but to no avail! I can’t wait to give it a try!
Let me know what you think Tori!
Looking forward to trying this. I too loved Darryl’s. We went there to celebrate.
Christy – I loved Darryls! They had chicken wings with 3 sauces. I wished I could find the sauces…..It was my birthday dinner, anniversary dinner, I’m tired dinner….you get the point. lol I don’t remember this cake, but I’m going to try and bake it very soon. Wished we had a Darryls here again.
Christy do you think I could make this in a bundt pan??
I also had a problem with the buttercream frosting. I had to add a couple more cups of powdered sugar because it was too runny to frost the cake. This did make it a better spreading consistency. I used margarine in place of the butter so this might of been why mine was runny? Cake and frosting was awesome and we loved it.
It could be Martha, or if you softened your margarine instead of letting it soften on the counter that make a huge difference.
Oh Christy – I’m making this for the second time in two weeks. It is such a FABULOUS recipe. My daughter’s favorite drink is Starbucks Coconut Mocha Frappucino, so for her birthday I toasted some coconut & sprinkled it all over the top…it was a wonderful combination! Thanks for this one, I’ll use it over & over, adding some mini chocolate chips to the one I’m making today.
I am so glad to hear that you like it Terra!!! Love that you are able to change it up a little to suit the occasion!!
[...] Christy Jordan of Southern Plate (She’s going with me to Ecuador!) makes this incredible Cappuccino Cake from her memories of one of the signature desserts of Darryl’s Restaurants. I actually worked [...]
I made one today for my husband’s birthday celebration tomorrow. We both “licked” the frosting bowl. I agree the tablespoon full of instant coffee was not too strong…one teaspoon per cup. Can’t do decorations, so just a few decorative sprinkles and numeral candles. I fear the cake would have melted and the smoke detector would have buzzed if 74 candles were stuck atop. Thanks for the great recipe that appeared just in time for my coffee loving husband. Also, that was such a wonderful gesture that your mama did. You are so blessed. Just love your positive, shiny disposition.
Margarines contain water and this certainly does change the consistency of any baked items………. if a recipe calls for butter, then it’s best to use butter.
I definitely had to put this on pinterest! This cake looks to die for!
There are no words in the English language (or any other language for that matter) that could describe how incredibly AWESOME this cake is. The frosting absolutely put it OVER THE TOP!
Love this cake! Made it for Valentine’s day and I also added mini chocolate chips to the top for decoration. Whole family loved it.
I have this in the oven right now – it”s going to be my hubby”s birthday cake tomorrow. I can’t wait!!
To make it even more decadent, I am going to serve with Rocky Road ice cream . Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate!!
Making this for a co-worker’s birthday and plan to take it to work with me in the morning. I put vanilla flavoring in the cake and lived a bit dangerously and put almond flavoring in the icing. I used real butter instead of margarine and well, let us pray: Dear Lord, Help Val to keep her spoon out of the frosting until she at least gets the cake frosted and remind her that she can lick the bowl after the cake is completely frosted. Amen.
Just a follow up, cake needs to be refrigerated for optimal flavor experience. I’m guessing one of my co-workers ate almost 1/4 of the cake by himself! He was pouting because I took the last two pieces back home for my husband and son. Can’t wait to share with family!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I didn’t realize until now that there were others that loved Daryl’s as much as I did and lusted, searched high and low, and needed their Cappuccino Cake recipe as much as I did. 15 years later I still dreamed of this cake. We too went to Daryl’s for special occasions…especially my birthday…just so I could have there Cappuccino Cake. We drove by the site were it use to be located in Louisville Kentucky just yesterday and I mentioned to my husband that I could really use….and he finished my sentence, realizing where we were “Cappuccino Cake”! Again THANKS!!!
I made this for my mom for her birthday and it was a huge hit! The only problem I had was the frosting
I followed your directions to the letter and it came out thick yet drippy…more glazy than anything. I set it aside, printed out your step by step WITH pictures…LOL,,,and it still came out glazy 
any suggestions on what I might have done wrong??? I even let the butter sit out and soften thinking maybe it wasn’t soft enough. I still used the thick glaze, which still tasted great and mom LOVED it, but I think the buttercream fluffy frosting it was supposed to be would have been sooo much better!
Maria, most of the time folks let their butter get too soft and it make the frosting more runny. Do you think that might have been it?
Maybe….I did leave it on the counter for a couple hours before making it. I’m planning on trying it again soon for a shower…crossing my fingers it comes out perfect this time
Thanks, Christy!
I made this cake today for the first time and took it to a church dinner/fundraiser. I didn’t get to taste a single slice however. Instead of being served, the entire cake was sold at auction. I think the lady that bought it is happily eating right now. I didn’t have cake mix on hand so I baked a two layer dark chocolate cake from scratch. For the icing, I mixed two tablespoons instant coffee with 1/2 cup half and half. I only needed about 1/3 cup of the mixture. I just gradually poured it in while the mixer was running until the icing became creamy and spreadable. I also spread chocolate ganache over the top of the cake. I’ll have to bake another so my friends and I can have some. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Oh Krystal!! You will have to make another so you can try it!!!
I baked another cake the it was HEAVENLY!! I love coffee and I love chocolate and this cake recipe is a delicious combination of both. It disappeared quickly, but thankfully I got to taste it.
[...] Your Cappuccino Cake is quite heavenly. Super easy to throw together quickly and is just perfect. My husband literally [...]
I stumbled on this recipe on Pinterest this evening – it looks amazing and really easy! I’m excited to try it. Also: this was one of the funniest recipe posts I’ve read.
Hi Christy …..Do you think I can use your recipe to make a three tiered birthday cake covered in fondant?
Thanks so much!!!!!
You could sure try it. I would think it would work just fine.
Hi Christy,
Does the cake have to be put in the refridgerator because of the filling?
Thanks again!
Marisa
This is the BEST RECEIPT i found for coffee cake, It came out PERFECT! Thank you!!!!!
I am so glad you enjoyed it!!
O Thank you from my friends at work, they love the cake so much that I made it again today for my friends who didn’t get a piece last time ! Lol
Oh WOW!! I am so glad to hear that everyone liked it!! I bet you are now the Office Hero!!
Well….. there goes the Diet !!
I am thinking this would be great for father’s day ….. and I think I have everything already. Thanks for sharing.
I made this for my dad’s birthday (which was four days ago but we celebrated yesterday). My frosting didn’t come out right either… I did use margarine (though most recipes that call for butter I use margarine and it turns out fine… even homemade buttercream frosting) but it was really hot yesterday (in GA) so perhaps my margarine softened a bit too much on my counter. I added more powdered sugar but it still seemed grainy… just wouldn’t ever get fluffy. Will have to try again, though… my Usually-Doesn’t-Care-For-Chocolate Hubby loved the cake! (my kids were like, “ewwww, the frosting tastes like coffee…” ha ha ha)
HI
I am trying to find the Christmas cakes that had been on CBN some time ago
Can you help me in any way?
carrolkay@aol.com
If I were going to convert this into cupcakes, how long would you recommend I bake them?
Hi Christy,
The flavor was nice,but it was FAR too sweet. I think part of the reason so many were having trouble with the frosting is because there’s too much sugar. I added the sugar a cup at a time and the consistency looked after adding3.5-4 cups, but the fifth made the frosting “loose” and sickeningly sweet. Even my sugar-hound co-workers couldn’t finish their slices. I may try again with a French buttecream base (yes, eggs and more work) but for those who like American buttercream I suggest cutting back the sugar in the frosting by a whole cup.
…sorry: that’s “the consistency looked GOOD after adding 3.5-4 cups”
I made this (in cupcake form) for my Mom’s birthday. Even though my frosting didn’t look the best (I either over-whipped or had too-soft butter), it still tasted awesome. Mom NEVER eats frosting – but she did this time and loved every bite of it. She even kept leftovers to eat as a snack the next day or 2.
LOVE THIS RECIPE! (Tip: It really is SO much better after it’s been refrigerated.)
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it looks and sounds absolutely amazing!!! I had a bride-to-be request her 14 inch round cake to be this flavor, is this cake firm enough for tiered cakes? I cannot wait to try it!
your tip on the cocoa powder for coating the pans is one of the best tips I know, no ugly flour residue to mess up your beautiful chocolate cake, I have been doing this for years my gram taught me that one.
I have always loved that tip too Louanne!
Pretty sure the difference in texture is the result of using a HAND mixer instead of a STAND mixer. Serious difference in final product, I find. This is something I found to be true at the restaurant I managed AND when making icing in Wilton cake decorating classes, as well. Best of success, all. Happy baking!
Interesting recipe. I use 3/4 cup water instead of milk, and increase the oil to 1/2 cup, but otherwise it is the same recipe I have used for 5 years. Since we don’t drink coffee in our home we use fresh ground cacao powder for the buttercream frosting, for a very chocolaty flavor to top it off.
Can you substitute freshly ground cofffee for the instant coffee?
Divine. I made this for my daughter’s 16th birthday, and it was fabulous. And, yes, even better after 24 hours in the refrigerator.
i half to ask christy the cake mix in this recipe do u follow the back of the box or do u just pour in and not follow the direction was confuse by that i know the direction on the box calls 4 water if i could clear this up 4 me i would be happy i would loive to make this cake thanks again
Pamela you make it just like she says and don’t follow the cake box instructions. It helps me to look at the pictures and the ingredients she has listed in the actual recipe. You won’t regret making this cake and I hope this helps you. No water…just milk, sour cream, eggs, cocoa oil, vanilla and the unmade cake mix. Happy baking!
What a great surprise to find this recipe! There is a restaurant in chain in GA that used to serve this cake too. I only know of one location still open and its not convenient for me. I can’t wait to try it!! Also, the restaurant here sprinkled mini-semisweet morsels on their cake as garnishment. Thanks for posting!!!
Getting ready to makes this for Easter dinner, along with your recipe for pineapple upside down cake (making individual size in Texas muffin pan). This cake brings the house down, never have I met someone who didn’t like it. So I’m reading it over and just realized your recipe calls for dark cocoa powder and Val is once again guilty of not reading a recipe through carefully…but I won’t tell if you won’t, cause if it’s this yummy without that kind, can’t imagine what it would be like with it. Happy Easter to the Jordan Family! Is that new cookbook out yet?
I promise not to tell Valerie!! I hope you and your family have a very Happy Easter, the cookbook should be out in the fall, I am so excited!!
I will be making this! I use to go to Darryl’s just for this cake. I can’t wait. Thank you for putting this on here.
This cake was DELICIOUS!!!! I think the part that made it special was the awesome frosting. My husband, who doesn’t have a sweet tooth, loved the frosting and I couldn’t keep his hands off the bowl! Thanks for the great recipe!
Made this yesterday for family Mother’s Day Brunch today. Huge hit! Delicious. I could eat a bowl of the icing; it’s to die for. Having the leftover piece for breakfast tomorrow! Icing was a bit gloppy: cake barely made it to the fridge without the top sliding off. Some puddling of the frosting. Next time I’ll refrig the cake halves before frosting and not let the butter soften so much. However, the refrigeration set the cake well, and once I put it out to serve, it held together nicely in a slightly warm kitchen for over an hour. For the instant coffee p, I bought a box of Nescafé Taster’s Choice pre-measured single serve packets. These are already pre-measured for 6 oz of coffee; so easy to just open 3. Has anyone tried dissolving the coffee in a lesser amount of hot milk or water to use less liquid and thicken up the frosting?? Just curious.
I am so glad you liked it Karen, even if it did give you a little trouble.