If you are a fan of the combination of chocolate and coffee, you are going to fall in love with this moist and flavorful Mocha Toffee Crunch Cake!
Once upon a time we posted a recipe for a simple Coffee Toffee Ice Cream Cake. I’ve made this ice cream cake more times than I can count over the years, and with it’s heavenly combination of coffee, toffee, and chocolate, it is ALWAYS a crowd pleaser.
We are so excited to now have a cake that incorporates this same fantastic combination of flavors.
How to Make a Mocha Toffee Crunch Cake – A Quick Rundown
Our Mocha Toffee Crunch Cake consists of rich chocolate cake layers sprinkled with pecans and toffee, and a Mocha Buttercream that has just the right balance of espresso and chocolate!
For this recipe, we used our Classic Chocolate Cake recipe, but it would work well for whatever your favorite chocolate cake may be. If you are a fan of doctored cake mixes, our Chocolate Sour Cream Cake- Doctored Mix is a great option!
What makes these chocolate cake layers even more fabulous is that we sprinkled the batter-filled pans with toffee and pecans just before baking. I love the flavor and crunch that this adds!
Here is a photo of the layers just before baking…
…and here they are fresh from the oven!
Assembly of our Mocha Toffee Crunch Layer Cake
When assembling the cake layers, we frosted mocha buttercream frosting onto each layer and followed with another sprinkling of toffee bits and and chopped pecans before adding the next layer.
SO good!
We hope that you enjoy the recipe! If you would like to make a cupcake version, I would recommend our Classic Chocolate Cupcakes, which use the traditional method of mixing, making a fluffier cupcake!
Reverse Creaming Method of Mixing
The chocolate cake recipe that we used for this recipe calls for the Reverse Creaming Method of mixing. Although the order of ingredients may seem a little strange at first, you are going to love the final results!
Cakes that are made with this popular method of mixing result in a slightly denser, velvety, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
If you are new to this method, you may be interested in watching our free video here: The Reverse Creaming Method of Mixing.
Love Coffee Flavored Cakes? We have more Recipes for you to Try!
Mocha Toffee Crunch Cake Recipe
This fantastic Mocha Toffee Crunch Layer Cake with Mocha Buttercream is so moist! It has the perfect balance of chocolate, espresso, and toffee flavors!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 2 ¾ cup (322g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (82g) unsweetened cocoa (lightly spoon into cup then sift)
- 2 teaspoons ((10g) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (2g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (2g) salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) (226g) unsalted butter, softened (do not soften in microwave) I cut the butter into 1 inch pieces onto waxed paper leaving on the countertop for 8 to 10 minutes it will still be quite cool when adding to the dry ingredients. If it becomes too soft, just refrigerate a few minutes
- ¼ cup (54g) vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup (220g) milk
- 1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (220g) hot coffee, it can be instant or brewed (we used instant espresso)
- 1 cup (93g) pecans, chopped
- 1 cup (145g) toffee bits — I used Heath English Toffee Bits
For the Mocha Buttercream Frosting
- 3 sticks (339g) unsalted butter, slightly softened
- 9 cups (1035g) powdered sugar (icing sugar in UK)
- 1 Tablespoon (7g) unsweetened cocoa (sifted)
- 1 teaspoon (3g) salt
- ½ teaspoon (2g) vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (5g) instant espresso coffee
- ¼ cup (60g) hot water
Instructions
For the Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour THREE 8 inch cake pans
In a mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients: sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk for 1 minute to blend.
Add softened butter a few pieces at a time while the mixer is on low speed. Mix until the dry ingredients look like coarse sand and the dry ingredients are moistened. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, milk , oil and vanilla until blended.
Method is important when using the Reverse Creaming Method. With the mixer on low speed, SLOWLY add approximately ½ of the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 1 ½ minutes at medium speed. Don't mix above medium speed. Scrape the bottom and sides of bowl. Add the remaining egg mixture in 2 pourings, beating for 20 seconds after each pour. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl.
Slowly add the cup of hot coffee and mix another 30 seconds until blended. The batter will be very runny. Don't worry!
Pour into 3 prepared 8" pans
Once the batter is in the pans, sprinkle about ½ of the pecans and toffee bits over the top of the batter. The remaining pecans and toffee will be sprinkled over the mocha buttercream filling when assembling the cake. You can increase the amount used if you would like more crunch.
bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until the center of the cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool the cakes 10 minutes on a rack and then turn out of the pans.
*Yields approx 9 cups of batter.
Making cupcakes? Check out our Classic Chocolate Cupcake Recipe (conventional method of mixing for fluffier cupcakes) Holds up well to fondant
For the Mocha Buttercream Frosting
Mix the instant espresso coffee into the ¼ cup of hot water, set aside to cool slightly
Beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Blend in the vanilla and cocoa powder and salt.
Add half of the powdered sugar and half of the coffee. Beat at medium speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated.
Add the remaining powdered sugar and coffee and mix at medium speed another 3 to 6 minutes scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
This recipe makes 6 cups of frosting. This is enough to fill, frost and add a moderate amount of decorative piping on a 3 layer 8 inch cake.
If your consistency is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If too thick, add a bit more water or milk, a teaspoon at a time.
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Oh that looks and sound delish! Adding it to my To Bake List! :-)
Yummmmmmm. I have to try this. Thanks Melissa
THANK YOUUU for listing how many cups of batter & frosting this yummy recipe yields! It helps so much when considering different sized tiers!
Question. I have Coffee Emulsion, it is similar to extract. Could I use that in place of the vanilla extract? Or would I use it in place of the Instant coffee>
Hi Beth, You would use it in place of the instant espresso coffee. I have read that 1 teaspoon emulsion is equal to 1 teaspoon extract. You will still need the 1/4 cup water ( you could also use milk ) to thin the buttercream. I would make the buttercream adding 1 teaspoon emulsion. Taste, then add additional emulsion 1/2 teaspoon at a time as needed to reach the coffee flavor you like in the mocha frosting. Below is the link I referred to for information on emulsion.
http://www.pastrychef.com/BAKERY-FLAVORING-EMULSION–COFFEE-NATURAL_p_2259.html
I am a new baker and made this. It was easy and really good! Very light. The next time I make it I will add more toffee bits. I made a strong attempt to decorate it like the picture but lets just say, no one judged my book by its cover. I had very willing participants to eat it all up.
Hi Laurel, I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for giving it a try. You are a new baker so don’t worry that something doesn’t look perfect, we are always our worst critic. Be patient, practice will improve your piping skills. The important thing is that your friends enjoyed the cake. Thanks so much for posting a review.
I just seen another recipe for this cake. It’s the same pic for sure. However I think a couple of items has been changed in theirs. Check under Desserts and Cakes. Just want to be sure someone is not using your recipe for their own behalf
Can this be made in a 13×9 pan?
Hi Amy, You can bake this in a 13×9 pan 2 inches deep. You will need 7 cups of batter, bake at 350 degrees 35 to 40 min. The recipes makes approximately 9 cups of batter so you will have enough leftover for one 6 inch round layer or cupcakes to freeze for later.
Does it matter if you use regular cocoa powder or dutch process? Which one do you prefer for the mocha buttercream? Thanks. The two different kinds always confuses me.
Hi Gloria, All of our recipes so far use regular cocoa powder. I think I will add the type of cocoa powder to recipes so there will be no confusion.
Hi, Is your mocha buttercream a crusting buttercream? How long can it stay out of the fridge in a cake when its used as a filling only? Thanks!
Hi Gloria, It is a crusting buttercream. In normal room temperature, used as a filling only or both filling and frosting, it should be good for 3 days……longer if refrigerated and brought out of the refrigerator about 2 hours before serving.
Can you use selfrising flour?
Hi, by how much would I need to increase the ingredients for 9” cake tins? Thank you.
Hi Mildred, Leaving the recipe as it is, there is enough batter for two 9 inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. If you need to have 3 layers, I would increase the recipe by 1/2…..you might have a bit leftover.
Hi Barbie, I am sorry but you cannot substitute self-rising flour for this recipe.
This recipe is screaming my name! I’m planning to try this recipe for a church event, but was wondering if the cake needed to be leveled after baking. I would hate to have to level all of that toffee goodness away.
Hi Melissa, I think it will have a very small dome when baked. You can eliminate this by using Baking Strips. If you are not familiar with these, below is a link to a Wilton youtube video that gives a good explanation.
https://www.google.com/search?q=using+wilton+baking+strips&oq=using+wilton+baking+strips&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l2.6631j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Also, you can make your own using wet (water squeezed out) paper towels that are folded in a long strip then placed in aluminum foil that is folded to the size of the sides of your cake pans. There is probably a youtube video on this method also. The downside to using the aluminum foil is it will last only 4 to 5 times of use. Hope you will enjoy the cake!
Hi Star, This recipe makes 10 cups of batter. If you are going to use a 4×4 inch pan you would need only 1 cup of batter for that size of pan. I am sorry but I can’t scale the recipe down to that small quantity.
Hi, I was wondering if you could use espresso powder instead of instant espresso coffee. Same thing for the frosting? Plus, can you use two 9 inch cake pans instead of three 8 inch ones. I don’t own 8-inch pans and don’t really want to buy three of them.
Hi Brenda, You could use espresso powder. It is more concentrated and will give you a deeper flavor than the instant espresso granules that we used. Check the directions on your espresso, you may need to use less than the instant espresso granules we used. You do need to add the cup of hot water. As for the frosting, you will need to test the taste when making the frosting to judge how strong you want the flavor to be. You can replace the 1/4 cup water with milk if you like, adding more if needed to reach the consistency you like. All should go well with this substitution. Below is a link to using espresso powder that you might find interesting.
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2017/01/16/baking-with-espresso-powder
Hello! I don’t own a mixer. Do you think I’ll run into trouble trying to mix this by hand? I don’t mind the extra work, I just want to anticipate any complications I might have.
I’m really excited to bake this! It’s nearly my birthday and I though taking on such a beautiful recipe would be a nice way to celebrate
Hi Lily, Because this recipe uses the Reverse Creaming Method of mixing, I think it would take a very long time trying to incorporate the butter into all the dry ingredients. You could re-write the recipe into the conventional mixing method, though the creaming of butter and sugar would be long there also……creaming until the butter and sugar would be lightened in color and fluffy….. lengthy but not impossible. If you do re-write the recipe, be sure to count the ingredients to make sure nothing was left out. Below is a link to a site with more information on mixing by hand as well as a video. Good luck, if you give it a try.
https://www.bakingkneads.com/how-to-mix-cake-batter-without-a-mixer/
HI I live in the UK am planing to make this cake today do you mean mls for liquid conversion not grams and how many spoons of coffee to cup in the cake I have made your sour lemon cake from scratch it was delicious best regards
What temperature did you cook it at?
The cake is baked at 350 degrees (F)
Hi Chris, The liquid measurement is in grams. I used 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules.
I currently only have 9 in. cake pans. Would these measurements work for them? Thanks. Sincerely, a new baker.
Hi Vanessa, This recipe makes 9 cups of batter. You can use two 9 inch round pans, it will need to bake a bit longer in two pans so keep an eye on it. You can also divide between three 9 inch pans. The layers will not be quite as high in 3 pans but it will still look good. Hope you will enjoy the recipe.
For the butter cream can I just use coffe instead of the hot water?
Hi Krisztina, I have not tried using the coffee granules without adding to the hot water. I am not sure how easily the granules dissolve in buttercream. If they dissolve, it will be fine. If adding only the coffee granules, you will need to add the liquid you are eliminating, it can be water or milk. Milk adds fat and a creamier taste to buttercream. This cake recipe uses the Reverse Creaming Method. If you are new to this method, you might like to watch Melissa’s video. Link below
https://www.mycakeschool.com/blog/reverse-creaming-method-of-mixing-a-cake-video-tutorial/
I dont have pecans. Can i use cashew? Thanks
Hi Edlyn, Yes, it will be fine to substitute with cashews. Hope you will enjoy the recipe.
Hello,
Does the freezer method work with this cake?
I just baked them and I think I left them in a few minutes too long.
I Really want them to be moist!
Does the frosting store well in the fridge until the next day?
Hi Teresa, I hope you wrapped and froze the layers because it is fine to do so. The frosting can be stored in the refrigerator. Take out of the refrigerator several hours before you want to use it. You may need to stir briskly or using your mixer, mix until it is smooth and the consistency you like for frosting your cake. You could also leave the frosting on the countertop if you will be using the next day.
How do I make the toffee bits??
Hi Aparna, I am sorry but we do not have a recipe for making toffee bits, there may be one online. We used Heath brand toffee bits, below is a link
https://www.hersheys.com/kitchens/en_us/ingredients/baking-chips/bits-o-brickle-toffee-bits.html
The recipe says all purpose flour, I have some cake flour I need to use up, would that be ok?
Hi Jackie, Yes, you can use cake flour. Change the amount to 3 cups. Hope you will enjoy the recipe.
Hi, can I cut the recipe in half if I’m using 2 6 in pans? Thank you!
Hi Niralj, Yes, You could cut the recipe in half. This recipe makes 9 cups of batter. The suggested amount of batter for 6 inch pans is 2 cups per pan for a 6×2 inch round pan. You will have a little leftover. Below is a link for cake batter amounts and baking times, you may find this helpful.
http://fromkarenskitchen.com/tips/party_cake_batter_amounts_baking_times_2inch_pan.php
Hi can I use 9in pans instead of 8? I don’t want to go buy new ones? Is it much of a difference?
Hi Shelby, This recipe makes 9 cups of batter. You can use two 9 inch round pans, it will need to bake a bit longer in two pans so keep an eye on it. You can also divide between three 9 inch pans. The layers will not be quite as high in 3 pans but it will still look good. Hope you will enjoy the recipe.
This cake sounds amazing I would only like to make it with 2 X 8″ cake tins do I just divide your measurements by 3? Thank you for your time ☺️ x
Hi Natalie, Don’t divide the measurements by 3. The recipe makes 9 cups of batter. An 8 inch round, 2 inch deep pan can hold 3 cups of batter. I would make two 2×8 layers and use the remaining 3 cups for cupcakes that you could freeze for later. Another option is to refrigerate the extra 3 cups batter until the 2 layers bake. After the cakes bake, allow the pans to cool down at bit and bake 1 more layer that you could use now or freeze for later. Hope you will enjoy the cake.
I’m making this cake for a church function on Friday. Can’t wait to try it! It looks sooo good!
This cake is fantastic. I made it for a friend’s 70th birthday.
Hi Karen, your cake looks great! I’m so glad that you all enjoyed the recipe!
Can I substitute whipped frosting instead of buttercream?
Sherri, I think that would be fine.
Hiya, I live in the UK and can’t get the toffee bits easily would it be OK to substitute crushed English toffee instead?
Hi Brooke, Yes, crushing into small bits should work well
I made this cake and it was fantastic! Your directions were wonderful and easy to follow. Thank you!
Hi Peggy, Thank you so much for posting your nice comments. We are very happy you enjoyed the cake.