Super fudgy Easter Mocha Cake made with a rich gluten free chocolate sponge laced with coffee and covered in vanilla butter icing. The sponge is perfect all-year round, but has been topped here for Easter with pretty pastel Mini Eggs.
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An Easter Mocha Cake to celebrate Spring
Who would like to try my Easter Mocha Cake? It’s Rich, fudgy and very VERY chocolatey… With a deep back-hit of coffee and sumptuous vanilla butter icing… Plus… It is covered in the prettiest of pastel Mini Eggs. Sometimes Easter calls for a pretty cake… Don’t you think?
One of the best things about Easter is that (in the UK) it falls in the Spring… This season of newness, heralds warmer days ahead. For me, it marks the end of the winter months. And because we get an extra-long weekend, it allows more time for the garden or getting out and about. The world starts smiling and the tenseness that comes with the cold winter starts to ebb away.
That has to be worth a celebratory cake! Right?
Baked treats associated with Easter
When it comes to treats and Easter, there seems to be two camps… There’s traditional Easter cakes and buns which centre round dried fruit and seasonal spice. And then there’s all things chocolate. Clearly, my rich Easter Mocha Cake falls into the latter camp.
I’ll be honest, chocolate has historically been my ‘go to’ celebration flavour… The richer, darker and more moist the better. Even our wedding cake was chocolate… all three layers of it!
But we are also partial to a bit of fruit and spice too… whether traditional Simnel Cake (or it’s Simnel Traybake sister), perfectly doughy Hot Cross Buns and Hot Cross Scones or an alternative cinnamon-spiced Carrot Cake.
Decorating gluten free Easter Mocha Cake with Mini Eggs
Beyond decisions about flavour of bake, there is also the question of how best to decorate an Easter cake. And that usually comes down to marzipan for a traditional fruit cake. Or (because of their association with Easter), little eggs or chocolate bunnies for most other seasonal treats.
As for little eggs, it seems the choice gets bigger every year. For Coeliacs however, the need to read labels remains critical… with many egg varieties containing wheat either in the form of barley malt flavouring or wheat in crispy shells and wafers.
On the safe list however, are the iconic mini Cadbury Creme Eggs, which I’ve used previously to decorate Easter Biscuit Cake, in Creme Egg Cupcakes and even on an Easter Creme Egg Mousse Cake. And also the pretty rose gold Galaxy Enchanted Eggs, who’s golden predecessor was used on both my Easter Chocolate Bundt Cake and stunning Golden Egg Cake… But perhaps prettiest of all are Cadbury Mini Eggs… Beautifully appealing for their pastel speckled hue which instantly conjures Spring and all its newness. In addition to using them to decorate this stunning gluten free Easter Mocha Cake, they have also found their way onto the prettiest Easter Chocolate Cupcakes (topped with Italian Buttercream), Blackcurrant Flower Biscuits and in teeny weeny form, adorning the sides of egg-shaped Cake Pops.
Too many Mini Eggs?
Whether my Easter Mocha Cake has been decorated with too many Mini Eggs is a matter for debate. Possibly I have gone a tad overboard. But hey… What’s Easter without sugar overload? And they do look such fun.
Ultimately, the sort of little eggs you choose and how many you use is up to you… But if it’s an Easter mocha cake, a few seem fitting.
How many people will this Easter Mocha Cake serve?
This gluten free Easter Mocha Cake is incredibly rich and most definitely very chocolatey. And for that reason, it will serve an absolute minimum of 14 people but can easily be stretched to serve about 18. Seriously. A small slice goes a long way. But that also makes it perfect for sharing. And I absolutely promise that this cake has a crumb so amazing that no-one will EVER know it’s gluten free!
It’s created to be super-fudgy with a texture that is heading towards brownie… but lighter! Quite dense, very moist and a little bit sticky. The sponge is made with plenty of dark chocolate as well as a dose of cocoa. But it also gains extra depth from a splash of fresh-brewed coffee. If you prefer, the batter also makes utterly delicious cupcakes too.
Despite the emphasis on chocolate (and mini eggs aside), the base cake is interestingly not over-sweet. This may be because the coffee gives a delightful and slightly bitter kick, which contrasts beautifully against the creamy sweetness of the frosting and seems to intensify the darkness of the chocolate.
Do I need anything special to make gluten free Easter Mocha Cake?
Apart from a shed-load of Cadbury Mini Eggs, there is nothing particularly special needed to make Easter Mocha Cake. And the sponge is not difficult to make either. It does need a long slow bake (because of its particular texture), but the ingredients are pretty straight forward.
I use Gluten Free Alchemist basic gluten free flour plain white Blend A in the mix, but it should work well with alternative brands such as Freee.
In terms of equipment, the recipe makes a two-layer, 8 inch mocha cake, for which I use two Master Class loose-bottomed tins. They have proved to be robust, non-stick and hold the heat evenly.
You’ll also need a medium-sized Pyrex Bowl in addition to a large mixing bowl, an electric whisk and a good mixing spoon. I swear by my Zing silicone Spatula Spoon.
Can I make gluten free Mocha Easter Cake dairy free?
Yes… Gluten free Easter Mocha Cake can be made dairy free. The usual subs apply for the sponge and butter icing… Use a dairy free firm alternative to butter (such as Stork Baking Block), dairy free milk, and a good quality dark chocolate that is milk free. And of course… Cadbury Mini Eggs are out of the question, so an alternative dairy free decoration will be needed.
Unfortunately, the recipe does rely on eggs, so is not suitable for a vegan or egg-intolerant diet.
Ready to make gluten free Mocha Cake?
So, there you have it… My gluten free Easter Mocha Cake (you’ll find the recipe below). Of course, you don’t have to make it for Easter. This incredibly fudgy and decadent chocolate cake is perfect for any occasion. Simply change the decoration and you have an amazing year-round cake.
If you do make it, I’d love to hear your feedback… Leave a comment, rate the recipe or tag me on social media with your photos of how it turned out. And why not follow me on social media too? You’ll always find me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.
Thanks as always for visiting Gluten Free Alchemist. And hopefully you’ll come back again soon.
Other big chocolate cakes on the blog
Rich Easter Mocha Cake
Key equipment
- two 8 inch round non-stick loose-bottomed baking tins
- Oven
- medium glass bowl
- microwave or hob and saucepan
- small cup
Ingredients
Chocolate Sponge Cake
- 200 g dark chocolate good quality (dairy free if required)
- 200 g unsalted butter cubed (or DF block alternative)
- 130 ml strong fresh-brewed coffee
- 185 g plain gluten free flour blend I use GFA blend A (see NOTES)
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1½ tsp baking powder gluten free
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 200 g soft light brown sugar
- 160 g golden caster sugar
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 120 ml milk dairy free if needed
- ¾ tsp white wine vinegar
- 3 large eggs UK large (Canadian ‘Extra Large’; Australian ‘Jumbo’; and US ‘Extra or Very Large’)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla butter icing
- 220 g unsalted butter softened
- 440 g icing sugar
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tbsp almond/rice milk
To decorate
- Mini Eggs I used one and a bit 360g bags
- sprinkles
Instructions
Chocolate sponge cake
- Base-line two round 8 inch baking tins with baking paper.
- Pre-heat the oven to 170 C/325 F/Gas 3.
- In a medium glass bowl, break the chocolate into pieces and add the butter and coffee.
- Melt together either over a saucepan of simmering water or in a microwave at medium heat on 30 second bursts, stirring frequently, until fully blended. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, sugars and cocoa powder, making sure any lumps are completely broken down. (Alternatively, weigh into an airtight container and shake vigorously)
- In a small cup or jug, mix the milk with the vinegar and leave to stand for a few minutes.
- Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until thickened and pale in colour.
- Add the vanilla extract, melted chocolate and milk-vinegar mix and continue to whisk until smooth and fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and fold gently until fully amalgamated. Do not over-mix.
- Pour the batter into the cake tins, ensuring an even distribution.
- Bake for 50 minutes to an hour in the middle of the oven, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tins for about 15 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Vanilla butter icing (frosting)
- To make the vanilla butter icing, beat the butter until smooth and light.
- Gradually add the icing sugar and vanilla extract a little at a time and beat until you have a smooth icing with a good spreading consistency. Add a little milk to loosen as necessary.
- Sandwich the cakes together with butter icing and then use the rest of the icing to cover the cake completely (using a flat or palette knife), smoothing as you wish and spreading a thicker layer on the top.
- Decorate with mini eggs (or decoration of choice) and sprinkles.
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2023 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
Looks delicious! I’d like to make as cupcakes, do I need to make any changes? How long would they take to cook?
Hi Cheryl
It should be fine as cupcakes. The recipe as given will make a lot! You may choose to use half the amount of mixture.
I would bake cupcakes for probably 20 to 25 minutes dependent on their size (possibly slightly longer if large). But you may need to go a little with your instinct as I haven’t tried a cupcake version myself.
I hope that helps
Best wishes
Kate
This will work well for Easter, and children will seriously love it. Thank you for bringing this to Fiesta Friday for Easter.
You’re so welcome. It’s certainly delicious and very Eastery! x
You CANNOT have too many mini eggs at Easter IMHO! This cake looks so dreamy and I love the fact that you made it GF too. Thanks for joining in with #CookBlogShare this week, Karen
Thanks Karen. I fully agree with YHO!
Thank you for hosting and for visiting GFA xx
I adore mini eggs and your cake looks so moist and delicious! I hope you have a Happy Easter.
Thanks Janice. They are so pretty too. And they did work perfectly on this cake xx
This looks amazing and I would love to make this for my Mom’s Easter birthday, but I don’t need to make it gluten free. If I use regular flour would I need the same quantity, and should I change anything else? Not sure about the xanthan gum. Thanks!
Thank you so much Michelle. It would make a lovely birthday cake.
You definitely don’t need the xanthan gum (that’s a gluten replacer for us gluten free folk to help things hold together).
As for the rest of the ingredients, you can probably more or less go to a straight switch to wheat flour for this… The only thing I’d say, is that you may need to drop the liquid quantity slightly as GF flours are exceptionally liquid-absorbent compared to wheat flour. Or alternatively, you could up the flour quantity by a few grams to compensate. As it is a very moist, slow-cooking sponge anyway, it shouldn’t have a negative impact.
Your alternative is to find a similar non-GF mocha-type sponge and use the decoration as here. xx
I love chocolate and coffee and this cake looks absolutely stunning. I'm not a fan of creme eggs either so this mini egg cake is perfect for me – can't have too many mini eggs in my book! Hope you had a good Easter 🙂
I am afraid the mini-eggs were an irresistible choice, even if I do feel 10 stone heavier for eating too many of them! Easter was lovely thank you! Hope you did too….
This looks truly magnificent! I agree that the pastel colours of the Mini Eggs really are evocative of Spring and thus an essential decoration! Thanks for linking up with this month's Love Cake.
You're welcome…. thanks for hosting!
Oh goodness, that is a true Easter egg cake – love the idea of getting a packet of eggs with every slice. The cake looks really delicious too – you had me at brownie like. I'm not really a coffee fan, but do find it works really well in chocolate cakes. Thanks for entering this into WSC.
You're welcome Choclette. I think I probably put on a few pounds eating it (as did all the people I shared it with) but it was worth every calorie!
Isn't that the prettiest cake? What I love is the ring of eggs around the base of the cake – like a pearl necklace!
Thank you CC. That is such a lovely description!
This looks awesome! Yeah, I dnt do fruit in cake either…No. I'd much prefer this any day of the week. Plus u have very thing u need dark choc, cocoa and the coffee AKA the perfect chocolate cake!! Love the decorations it so nice and neat.
Thanks. It was pretty delicious! Chocolate is so much more decadent than fruit!
Wow that looks wonderfully fudgy. I adore cakes like this, that moist sticky dense (in a good way) sort of cake. The mini egg decoration is beautiful too. Will definelty be giving this a try. Happy Easter 🙂
Thanks Katie. Happy Easter to you too!
Noooooo! You can never go overboard with mini egg decoration. It's definitely an integral part!
Ha! Thanks for your confidence Laura. I ate them and trust me……… there were a lot!