Gilded Mocha Walnut Layer Cake Recipes

MOCHA WALNUT CAKE WITH MOCHA GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour one 8-inch square pan or two 8-inch cake layers. Heat the milk and add coffee granules, stirring until they dissolve. Stir in vanilla and let cool.
• Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, then the coffee mixture. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder and add to the butter mixture. Stir in walnuts. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes for a square pan, or 30 minutes for round layers. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then either glaze while still warm, or turn out and cool completely to fill and frost.
• For glaze, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk and beat until smooth.

MOCHA LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans.
• Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
• Beat butter in a mixing bowl until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture; mix well after each addition. Stir in 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons coffee and vanilla.
• Beat egg whites in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the creamed mixture. Pour batter into the prepared cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert cakes carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool, about 20 more minutes.
• While the cake is cooling, beat butter and cocoa powder for frosting in a bowl until well creamed. Add powdered sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat until smooth.
• Stack the 3 cake layers on top of each other, spreading frosting between layers, and on top of the cake.

MOCHA LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, coffee, oil and eggs; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into two greased and floured 8-in. round baking pans. , Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes; invert onto a wire rack. Sprinkle each cake with 1/4 cup chocolate chips; when melted, gently spread chocolate over cakes. Place cakes in the freezer. , Meanwhile, for frosting, in a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in cocoa and extract. Beat in 5 tablespoons coffee, 1 tablespoon at a time until light and fluffy. Spread between layers and over the top and sides of cake. , In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and remaining coffee; stir until smooth. Pour over cake; carefully spread over the top, allowing it to drizzle down the sides.

FLUFFY COFFEE AND WALNUT CAKE WITH MOCHA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°. Lightly butter three 8"-diameter cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Toast 2 cups (250 g) raw walnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 12-14 minutes. Let cool. Set aside 1 cup walnuts for serving.
• Meanwhile, cook ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately stir in ½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil or refined coconut oil, melted. Set brown butter mixture aside.
• Pulse remaining 1 cup toasted walnuts in a food processor until coarsely ground (it should be the texture of panko). Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, 2¼ tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ½ tsp. baking soda.
• Process 4 large eggs, 1¼ cups (250 g) sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla extract, and 1 tsp. instant espresso powder in food processor (no need to clean bowl) until mixture is lightened in color and thickened, about 30 seconds. Stir 2 Tbsp. whole milk into reserved brown butter mixture. With motor running, gradually stream brown butter mixture into egg mixture and process until combined. Add dry ingredients and process just until a smooth batter forms. Divide batter among prepared pans.
• Bake cakes, rotating pans front to back after 15 minutes, until puffed and just starting to pull away from the sides of pans and a tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, 20-22 minutes. Transfer pans to wire racks and let cakes cool 15 minutes. Run a small knife around edges of each cake to release from pan if needed. Turn out cakes onto racks and remove parchment paper; discard. Turn cakes right side up and let cool completely.
• Combine 8 large egg whites, 2¼ cups (450 g) sugar, ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set over a medium saucepan filled with 1½" of simmering water (bowl should not touch water). Heat, stirring and scraping often with a heatproof rubber spatula, until sugar is dissolved and an instant-read thermometer registers 185°, 10-15 minutes.
• Fit bowl onto stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment and beat, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high, until meringue is shiny and stiff, 8-10 minutes. Beat in 1 tsp. vanilla extract.
• With mixer on medium speed, add 3 cups (6 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, a piece at a time, mixing until incorporated before adding more. Once all the butter has been added, increase speed to high and beat 1 minute. Transfer buttercream in bowl to refrigerator and chill 30 minutes.
• Fit bowl with buttercream back onto stand mixer and add ¼ cup (21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if needed, and 2 tsp. instant espresso powder. Beat on medium-low speed, scraping down sides as needed, until combined.
• Using a large serrated knife and long sawing strokes, remove tops of cakes to level if needed. Place a cake layer, right side up, on a cake stand or large plate. Using an offset spatula, spread ¼ cup buttercream over cake, working all the way to the edges. Place second cake layer, right side up, on top; spread another ¼ cup buttercream over cake, working all the way to the edges. Place third cake layer, cut side down, on top, and press lightly to adhere. Spread top and sides of cake with ½ cup buttercream in a thin, even layer. Chill, uncovered, at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours. (If chilling cake longer than 1 hour, cover remaining buttercream in bowl and chill. Bring to room temperature and beat again before using.)

BLACK WALNUT LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 3 greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease parchment., Cream butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition. Fold in walnuts., Transfer to prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely., For frosting, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar and enough buttermilk to reach spreading consistency., Spread 1 cup frosting between cake layers. Spread top of cake with an additional 1 cup frosting. Spread remaining frosting in a thin layer over side of cake. Top with additional walnuts and, if desired, orange slices.