This vegan mocha coffee cake has a sponge-like chocolate base, a cloud of dalgona cream frosting and crunchy cacao nibs for the perfect contrast. A bit nostalgic, a bit fancy, yet super easy to make.
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This vegan mocha coffee cake has a soft chocolate sponge base, a cloud-like dalgona frosting, and crunchy cacao nibs for the perfect contrast. It feels both a little nostalgic and a little fancy. But it's surprisingly easy to make.
It reminds me of classic Romanian sheet cakes I grew up with. The ones with a fluffy sponge base topped with a rich, thick cream layer; the ones that are slightly over-the-top in the best way, and keep you coming back for another slice.
This mocha cake captures exactly that feeling: soft, creamy, chocolatey, somehow light.
Yes, this cake might look like a project, but it's actually not complicated to make.
Extra bonus: the frosting stays surprisingly stable for days, so you can nicely prep this mocha coffee cake ahead. It tastes just as good on day 2, day 3… even day 4 if you keep it the fridge. The cake stays soft and somehow becomes even more flavorful over time. I'm not lying when I say that everyone wants the recipe whenever I bring this chocolate coffee cake to a gathering.
Why You'll Love This Mocha Coffee Cake
- Quick one-bowl chocolate cake base
- Surprisingly easy despite looking fancy
- Super stable vegan cream
- The coffee flavor is noticeable but not overpowering (more mocha than espresso)
- That indulgent contrast: soft cake + airy cream + crunchy cacao nibs
- Cake still gorgeous on day 2, 3, and 4
What Is Dalgona Frosting?
If you've ever seen whipped coffee during the dalgona hype a while ago, this is basically that but mixed with a generous amount of whipped cream.
The basic formula for dalgona is: instant coffee + sugar + a tiny (!) bit of water. Everything is stirred with a teaspoon into a fluffy, caramel-colored cream.
It looks and sounds fancy, but it's really easy to make, the only thing that matters: Don't add too much water. Start really small. It may look crumbly at first, just keep going. Eventually, it will turn smooth and airy as the sugar dissolves ... see pictures below.
Note on Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Base
The ingredient list may look a bit long, but most of the ingredients are pantry staples. A few small additions help create that fluffy, sponge-like texture without eggs or dairy.
- We're adding a bit of cornstarch to the flour.
- Using both baking powder and baking soda
- Making a vegan buttermilk from scratch with soymilk and apple cider vinegar
There is also instant coffee (powder) in the cake because it deepens the chocolate flavor, but you won't taste the coffee. If desired, use caffeine-free instant coffee.
Dalgona Coffee Frosting
For the frosting, we're folding fluffy dalgona coffee into whipped vegan cream. The dalgona itself is simply instant coffee, sugar, and a tiny splash of water whisked into a thick foam (as described above).
For the whipped cream, I recommend using a vegan brand you already trust and know whips up well. My current favorite is the one by Rama, it's easily available at all major supermarkets in Germany. It has a relatively high fat content (31%) and tastes surprisingly close to classic whipped cream.
If you don't mind a slight coconut-coffee flavor combination, coconut-based vegan whipping creams also work beautifully and are often easier to find.
After whipping the cream with sugar, we also add a tablespoon of cashew butter or white almond butter. It stabilizes the frosting for days and adds a little extra richness at the same time.
Decoration & Topping
The cute swirls and little circles on top are simply reserved dalgona cream, plus a second version mixed with a bit of cocoa powder for contrast. You can skip this step if you prefer a simpler look, or just use the (reserved) plain dalgona cream for all the decoration.
As for the topping: don't be shy with the cacao nibs. I really wouldn't skip them here. They add the perfect crunchy contrast to the pillowy cream. Plus, they bring a subtle bitter cocoa note that goes beautifully with the sweetness of the cream.
Tips for Success
- Don't rush the dalgona, it will turn creamy eventually.
- Use a good, trusted vegan whipping cream.
- Let the chocolate cake base cool completely before topping.
- Chill before cutting (give the dalgona cream frosting time to firm).
🍽 Recipe
Mocha Coffee Cake With Dalgona Frosting (vegan)
Equipment
- 1 Small rectangular or square baking pan or springform (mine measures about 7x11 inches / 18x28 cm)
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake
- 180 g all-purpose flour
- 20 g cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee (you can use caffeine-free instant coffee)
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 170 g sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground vanilla (powder)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 180 ml soy milk (unsweetened)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 100 g neutral oil
For the Dalgona Coffee Cream
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee (you can use caffeine-free instant coffee)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ tablespoon water (add up to ½ tablespoon only if the mix is too thick and you can't mix)
For the Cream Layer
- 200 g vegan whipping cream (a good quality one with a high fat content; I like using Rama vegan whipping cream)
- 6 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 tablespoon cashew butter or white almond butter
For Decoration
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (optional, for marbling)
- 1-2 tablespoons cacao nibs
Instructions
Make the chocolate cake.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to create a vegan buttermilk.
- In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
- Add the buttermilk and oil. Stir until smooth with no lumps.
- Pour into a small rectangular pan lined only on the bottom (this helps the cake rise evenly).
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes - poke a skewer in the middle to see if it comes out clean.
- Let cool completely and gently remove from the springform, also removing the parchment paper. Transfer the cake to a cake stand.
Make the dalgona coffee cream.
- Mix instant coffee, sugar, and a tiny amount of water (about half a tablespoon).
- Whisk by hand with a teaspoon until lighter in color, thick, and creamy. This can take up to 10 minutes.Tip: If the dalgona stays runny after a few minutes of whisking, you likely added too much water. Try adding more coffee and sugar (and start with less water the next time).
- Set aside 1 teaspoon for decoration.
Make the cream layer.
- Whip the vegan cream with sugar until stiff.
- Add the nut butter and whip briefly again. (This step matters as it stabilizes the cream beautifully.)
Combine and assemble.
- Gently fold the dalgona cream into the whipped cream.
- Spread onto the cooled cake.
Decorate the cake.
- Mix 2 tablespoons of the whipped cream with cocoa powder. Swirl it into the top - I like using a teaspoon to make a couple of large swirls.
- Add the reserved dalgona cream for extra pattern. I put another layer of swirls on the first darker cocoa swirl layer.
- Finish with plenty of cacao nibs.
Chill the cake.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, so the cream can firm up. Store covered in the fridge for up to 4 days, it honestly tastes just as delicious on days 2 to 4.
FAQs
Yes. You can easily make it 2-4 days ahead, it keeps really well in the fridge.
Sure. You can use caffeine-free instant coffee for both the cake and the frosting.
Not really. The cake base itself doesn't taste like coffee at all, the instant coffee just deepens the chocolate flavor. The frosting has a light coffee flavor, but it's not overpowering or bitter.
Use one you already trust and know will whip up nicely, ideally one with a higher fat content. If you can get your hands on the vegan whipping cream by Rama, that's the one I'm using at the moment.
You can freeze the cake base for several months. I recommend freezing it unfrosted. Defrost it completely when ready to serve, then make the dalgona frosting fresh and assemble the cake.
More Cake Recipes
If you liked this vegan coffee sheet cake, you might also like the following cake recipes.
- Go-to mandarin orange cake
- Rhubarb pudding cake with streusel
- Romanian pear and walnut cake
- Simple rhubarb polenta cake
- Wholesome apple crumble cake (gluten-free)
Enjoy,
Ramona
PS: If you try it, tell me in the comments how it turned out. I'm always curious.
♥
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