Hot Cocoa Cake

People are always shocked when I say I don’t drink coffee. The smell? Not for me. The taste? Absolutely not. Hot cocoa, though? That’s my love language. Rich, silky, topped with all the cozy extras, it’s my go-to warm drink every time. So naturally, I turned it into cake. This hot cocoa cake is a rich, chocolate-forward base topped with fluffy marshmallow whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder. Basically, my hot chocolate order… in dessert form. It’s sweet, cozy, and feels like a warm hug—especially during the winter season. Let’s make it together.

WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE THIS HOT COCOA CAKE:

• Cozy hot cocoa flavor. – It tastes like a warm mug of hot chocolate in cake form.
• Incredibly moist and tender – The hot liquid blooms the cocoa, giving you a soft crumb that stays moist for days.
• Super easy to make- Simple pantry ingredients, impressive results, and no special or difficult techniques required.

FAQs

INGREDIENTS FOR THIS HOT COCOA CAKE:

• cake flour – makes for a tender crumb
• unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process preferred) – rich chocolate flavor
• baking powder & baking soda – our leaveners
• salt – brings out the other flavors
• granulated sugar & dark brown sugar – sweetens and helps structure
• vegetable oil – adds moisture
• eggs – helps with moisture and structure
• vanilla extract – adds great flavor
• buttermilk – adds tang and work to tenderize
• coffee – promotes chocolate flavor
• espresso powder – brings out chocolate flavor
• sour cream – adds moisture to keep the cake from being dry
• mini marshmallows – for our icing
• heavy cream – for our whipped topping
• powdered sugar – to sweeten the topping and add structure

HOW TO MAKE My Hot Cocoa Cake:

Prep:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch pan with plenty of unsalted butter and a bit of flour. Pour the flour out, making sure it coats the pan. Set the pan aside.

Dry Ingredients and Wet Ingredients

• Grab a large bowl and sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. I’m usually team no sift, but with cocoa, I find it lumpy more often than not. So let’s just get it done. Set the bowl of dry ingredients aside.
• Pour the hot coffee into a small bowl and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside.
  In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, oil, eggs, extra yolk, and vanilla until smooth.
  

Alternating Ingredients and Mixing:

• Add ⅓ dry mixture, then ½ of the buttermilk, then the dry mixture again, and then the remaining buttermilk, ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix!
• Fold in the sour cream and the coffee/cocoa mixture. Whisk the batter until it’s smooth, then stop mixing. The batter will be slightly loose, but that’s totally normal.

Baking:

• Pour into the pan and bake at 350F for 25–30 min, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely.

Frosting:

1. Gently melt marshmallows with 1/4 cup heavy cream in a saucepan or microwave; stir until smooth. Add 1/2 tablespoon vanilla. Cool slightly.
   
2. Whip 1 cup heavy cream with powdered sugar to medium peaks. Gently fold in slightly cooled, melted marshmallow then continue whipping until you get stiff peaks.
   

Top the Cake

• Spread the swirled topping evenly over the cooled cake. Dust lightly with cocoa powder, more mini marshmallows, or chocolate shavings. Cut into squares and enjoy! We found that the cake tastes even better after sitting in the fridge overnight or at least for a few hours.

• Store at room temperature for 1 day, or refrigerate 2–3 days (bring to room temp before serving).

MORE GREAT DESSERT RECIPES:

• Smore’s Pie
• Chocolate Yule Log
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

SHOP MY BAKING ESSENTIALS:

https://www.amazon.com/shop/fayesfood

Hot Cocoa Cake

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 21 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  

Cake

• 1 ¾ cups cake flour sifted
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch-process preferred
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 extra egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup buttermilk room temperature (or milk + 1 tsp lemon juice, rested 10 min)
• ½ cup hot coffee or hot water
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder dissolved in hot liquid
• ¼ cup sour cream or plain yogurt

Swirled Marshmallow-Cream Topping

• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• ¼ cup heavy cream for melting marshmallows
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Finishing Touch

• 1-2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• chocolate shavings, chocolate drizzle or mini marshmallows Optional

Instructions

 

Prep:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch pan with plenty of unsalted butter and a bit of flour. Pour the flour out, making sure it coats the pan. Set the pan aside.

Dry Ingredients and Wet Ingredients

• Grab a large bowl and sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. I’m usually team no sift, but with cocoa, I find it lumpy more often than not. So let’s just get it done. Set the bowl of dry ingredients aside.
• Pour the hot coffee into a small bowl and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, oil, eggs, extra yolk, and vanilla until smooth.

Alternating Ingredients and Mixing:

• Add ⅓ dry mixture, then ½ of the buttermilk, then the dry mixture again, and then the remaining buttermilk, ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix!
• Fold in the sour cream and the coffee/cocoa mixture. Whisk the batter until it’s smooth, then stop mixing. The batter will be slightly loose, but that’s totally normal.

Baking:

• Pour into the pan and bake at 350F for 25–30 min, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely.

Frosting:

• Gently melt marshmallows with 1/4 cup heavy cream in a saucepan or microwave; stir until smooth. Add 1/2 tablespoon vanilla. Cool slightly.
• Whip 1 cup heavy cream with powdered sugar to medium peaks. Gently fold in slightly cooled, melted marshmallow then continue whipping until you get stiff peaks.

Top the Cake

• Spread the swirled topping evenly over the cooled cake. Dust lightly with cocoa powder, more mini marshmallows, or chocolate shavings. Cut into squares and enjoy! We found that the cake tastes even better after sitting in the fridge overnight or at least for a few hours.
• Store at room temperature for 1 day, or refrigerate 2–3 days (bring to room temp before serving).

Video

Notes

Store at room temperature for 1 day, or refrigerate 2–3 days (bring to room temp before serving).

We found that the cake tastes even better after sitting in the fridge overnight or at least for a few hours.