7 Layer Mocha Cake in Ombre shades!
Many people think Mocha is purely coffee
When actually it’s a combination of chocolate and coffee
The Ombre effect was so easy with just one vanilla cake recipe as the base
gradually adding cocoa powder to the layers for an eye catching Ombre effect!
Turning this cake into a brownie-like cake layer by the very last addition!
Notes for Success:
In the video I keep saying 1/4 sheet pans! this was an error! I am using 1/8 sheet pans!
While I don’t often try to talk you guys into buying “more stuff” it would be worth the investment
As these pans sure do make the work fast and efficient.
Seven Layers of cake with the filling and icing makes this a really tall cake that will serve close to 16 people!
So if you don’t need that much cake you can scale it down to just half recipe of cake batter for a very beautiful fout layer cake instead!
Additionally you can bake the batter into round cake pans instead
Notes about measuring flour:
Using a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients, mainly the flour will give the best results in all your baking
A heavy hand with the cups/volume measure can really throw off the measurements and cause a heavy, dry cake
Mocha Ombre Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1½ cups Vegan Butter 336g
- 3 cups Granulated Sugar 600g
- 8 Tbs Golden Flax Meal 64g
- 1 cup Hot water 237ml
- 2 cups Plant Milk 474ml
- 2 Tbs Vinegar 30ml
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract 10ml
- 5 cups All Purpose Flour 625g
- 6 teaspoons Baking Powder 12g
- 1 teaspoon Salt 6g
- 8 Tbs Cocoa Powder 48g
for the icing
- 1 Recipe Mocha Buttercream
- Optional garnish: Cacao Nibs
- ¼ recipe Vegan ganache
Instructions
- Grease & parchment line your cake pans & preheat the oven to 350℉
- Combine the flax meal with the hot water & whisk smooth, set it aside to thicken
- Sift the flour with the baking powder & salt
- Combine the apple cider vinegar with the soy milk & the vanilla extract ~ let it stand to thicken for approximately 5 minutes.
- With an electric mixer cream the softened vegan butter with the granulated sugar on medium to high speed for approximately 5 minutes until light & fluffy.
- Scrape the bottom & sides of the bowl then add the flax paste while mixing on medium speed.
- Once it is incorporated increase speed to high and whip for 30 seconds to emulsify
- Add 1/3 of the sifted dry ingredients mixing only until combined then add half of the milk mixture mixing just until combined
- Then add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients & the rest of the milk mixture then then the last of the dry ingredients.
- Spread approximately 1¾ cups of the batter into one of your prepared pans.
- The first addition of cocoa powder will be 2 Tablespoons to all of the remaining batter in the bowl and mix well.
- Spread approximately 1¾ cups of this light cocoa batter into another pan
- The remaining cocoa additions will now only be 1 Tablespoon at a time to the remaining batter until all the cocoa powder is gone & you have spread the graduating layers of cocoa batter into each of your prepared pans.
- It is ok to let the batter sit on the counter as you bake the layers since most likely you do not have 7 pans )like I do not)
- The bake time in a preheated oven for these thin layers of cake are approximately 15 minutes or until springy to the touch when you gently press the centers.
- Cool the cakes, then re-grease & parchment line the cake pans again for the remaining batter & layers.
- Once the cakes are completely cooled, fill & ice with mocha buttercream
- Garnish with cocoa nibs and ganache drip
Video
Notes
Hi
With thus recope u solved my problem, my daughter she is turning 21,and she want cake exactly like this!@ but my question is I have gathering for 30/40 people,how much ingredients and what size cake pan should I use?
Please let me know ????thanks
Hey great! This cake will serve about 16 people, it’s quite large! So if you double it.. there is at least 30 servings 😀
I would say to use ¼ sheet pans though for a larger cake 2X all the recipes, same method, temperature and bake time
Is it possible to do this in with circular cake pans, but just not fill up the pan entirely? Like weigh the batter and distribute accordingly?
The first time around I tried the instant granules and it was okay but this time I used coffee emulsion and The Taste was absolutely incredible! I made my buttercream recipe as usual added cocoa powder and coffee Emulsion and I tested it so much my stomach hurt LOL
Hey Gretchen!
I know this is an old post so i hope you don’t mind me asking
I was planning on making this but doing a 4 layer cake because I’ve only got about 8 people to feed. What ratios of cocoa powder would you recommend to add to keep the ombre effect?
You’re amazing,
Amy
Thanks Amy! Sure thing, If you wanted to keep the same size pans as me, but just make a 4 layer cake, you can do so by cutting the recipe in half.
I would start with the plain vanilla layer as usual then add just 1 Tb cocoa to the next, and repeat again with just 1 Tb cocoa each time for the next 2 layers
*As I mentioned in the text~ by doing it this way, you will end up with a more “fudgy” cake texture by the last layer.