Triple Chocolate Coffee Cake from Scratch

If you love a rich chocolate cake with a hint of coffee flavor, this is the recipe for you! This is a simple recipe, perfect for a quick brunch or even as a dessert. 

Is it a chocolate cake or a coffee cake? 

It took me a minute to figure out, as well! This is a chocolate cake with espresso powder added.

This is the original King Arthur Triple Chocolate Coffee Cake recipe, but I replaced the (complicated) chocolate crumble with a simple chocolate glaze.  

I was looking for something simpler that could be made in a bundt pan. (I have a fascination with bundt cakes!)

With that in mind, I would call it a chocolate cake, not a traditional “eat it for breakfast” cake. . .though you could certainly eat this for breakfast! 

I’ve got a lot of chocolate cake recipes already, but this one was different, in that it calls for chocolate milk and apple cider vinegar. 

Why Add Coffee to Chocolate Cake? 

It might seem strange to add coffee to a chocolate cake, but I promise you won’t be sorry. 

Instead of giving it a strong coffee taste (there’s only 1/2 a teaspoon of espresso powder) it simply enhances the chocolate flavor. 

If you think about it, coffee and chocolate (in their original unsweetened states) are both bitter. 

When you combine the two, something magical happens. Coffee adds a depth of flavor you won’t get with chocolate, alone. 

This is a rich, luscious cake, one I think you’re going to love. So, let’s get to it, shall we? Let’s bake a chocolate bundt cake! 

Chocolate Coffee Cake Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need. It’s likely you have many of these simple ingredients in your kitchen already. 

Filling

• white sugar
• Dutch cocoa powder
• mini chocolate chips

Cake

• all purpose flour
• granulated sugar
• unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder
• espresso powder (instant coffee)
• baking powder
• baking soda
• salt
• cubed salted butter
• vanilla extract
• large eggs (room temperature)
• chocolate milk
• apple cider vinegar vinegar

Glaze

• chocolate chips (semisweet chocolate morsels)
• heavy cream
• espresso powder
• vanilla extract

How to Make Double Chocolate Coffee Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Prepare a bundt pan by spraying it with Baker’s Joy (or greasing and lightly flouring it). 

Make the Filling

In a small bowl, combine all of your filling ingredients. Whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, and mini chocolate chips. Set aside. 

Make the Cake

Place all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, soda, and salt) in a large bowl.

Whisk together. 

Cube the butter and add it to the dry ingredients. Mix well until it forms a paste. You can use a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with electric mixer.

It’s time to add the eggs (one at a time) and vanilla extract. This will loosen up your batter a little bit. 

Add apple cider vinegar to chocolate milk. (Note: I didn’t have chocolate milk but I did have chocolate syrup and milk, so I made my own.) 

When you add vinegar to milk it will curdle. Don’t be alarmed. This is what you want. 

Slowly work the milk into the batter, mixing at low speed. 

Scrape down the sides as you go. Make sure batter is well mixed, eventually moving to medium speed. (This was one batter that required a bit of manual labor on my part!) 

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. 

Add the filling. 

Add the rest of the batter. 

Place bundt pan into the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes or until cake springs back to the touch. (Baking time may vary, depending on the pan you use.)  

Remove and place pan on wire rack to cool. 

After cooling for 10 – 15 minutes, turn out the cake onto the wire rack and continue cooling. 

Make Your Glaze

While cake is cooling, make your glaze. 

Combine cream, chocolate chips, and espresso powder in a small bowl.

Place in microwave and heat in 30-second intervals until completely melted. (This will take a minute to a minute and a half, total.) 

Stir well after each 30 seconds until glaze is creamy and smooth. 

Drizzle over cooled cake. 

Slice and serve! 

Store at room temperature in an airtight container. 

You can easily store this cake in the refrigerator, where it should stay fresh up to a week. 

Cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen up to two months. 

Variations to this Triple Chocolate Cake Recipe

I love pecans, so I might add some chopped nuts next time. 

More chocolate: If I had one complaint about this recipe, it’s that the cake wasn’t quite as chocolatey as the name implied. Perhaps this is because I skipped the crumble/topping. 

Chopped Oreos: I think finely chopped Oreos would be nice sprinkled on the warm glaze. 

Questions People are Asking about Chocolate Coffee Cake

Can I use sour cream in place of chocolate milk?

Yes, you can use sour cream, but it will obviously change the texture and taste a little. As a rule, sour cream and Greek yogurt are good replacements for milk in baked good.

Can I use white chocolate morsels?

Yes, but white chocolate is milder in flavor. Also, mini morsels melt easier, so the white chocolate ones might not melt as well.

Can I turn this into a spicy cake?

Yes, you can add a pinch of cayenne and cinnamon to the recipe if you like.

Can I add an instant pudding mix to the recipe?

Absolutely! You might need to up the chocolate milk amounts to accommodate but pudding adds luscious texture and flavor to a cake.

Other Chocolate Favorites from Out of the Box Baking

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles: Every now and again a simple recipe comes along that totally blows you away. This is that recipe. Whether you’re hoping to impress that special someone or simply come up with a delicious snack, these Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles will hit the spot!

Easy Chocolate Pie from Scratch: If you’re looking for a creamy, dreamy chocolate pie–one filled with the warmth of yesteryear, you’ve come to the right place. This “from scratch” pie comes straight from my mama’s recipe book and it’s the one that’s made my children swoon for years.

Chocolate Banana Bread: If you’re in the mood for chocolate and you’ve got some overripe bananas on hand, this is the perfect recipe for you! You can merge those two tasty items into one delectable Chocolate Banana Bread!

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That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe. 

See this recipe at

Full Plate Thursday 

Weekend Potluck

Busy Monday

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.