Name: Chocolate Chunk Espresso Sour Cream Loaf Cake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 115 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour*; 2 Tablespoons espresso powder; 1¾ teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ⅔ teaspoon salt; ⅔ cup unsalted butter (room temperature); 1¼ cups granulated sugar; 3 large eggs (room temperature); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1¼ cups sour cream (room temperature); ¼ cup strong coffee; 1½ cups chopped chocolate; 1 cup powdered sugar (sifted); 1/4 tsp espresso powder; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 2 Tbsp whole milk

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The very BEST Chocolate Chunk Espresso Loaf Cake. Bold espresso meets pools of melty dark chocolate inside this rich, moist loaf cake. The secret? Full-fat sour cream! It not only adds moisture and richness, but it also enhances all of the flavors. Serve with a drizzle of coffee icing and chopped chocolate for a delicious dessert that everyone is sure to love!

cut espresso loaf cake on marble serving plate with two slices of cake laying in front of loaf with white flowers and chopped chocolate around.

This recipe, much like our spiced pumpkin roll, has been put to the test time and time again to ensure it’s absolutely perfect.

We spent days testing different amounts of sugar and coffee, trying out different pan sizes, bake times, and even oven temperatures to ensure that every time you bake this cake, it would come out perfect.

The Exact Texture of This Chocolate Espresso Cake

We love the combo of chocolate and coffee. It always reminds us of a delicious mocha! And while this cake is similar in flavor to our chocolate espresso marble cake, the texture for this cake is SO unique that you’ll crave it again and again.

Melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Moist for DAYS.
Crisp caramelized edges with a soft, fluffy center.
A smooth and velvety crumb complimented by pools of melty dark chocolate.
Super rich and buttery.

overhead image of espresso loaf cake with two slices laying in front of cake.

Why You Need The Following Ingredients (& Why We Don’t Recommend Making Substitutions!)

This recipe has been tested, tested, and tested again to ensure the absolute best results. From changing ingredients (buttermilk for sour cream) to the types of coffee (espresso powder, strong coffee, and both!). Each ingredient was carefully selected, measured, and mixed to deliver BIG on flavor.

For the cake, you will need:

All Purpose Flour – We wanted a moist, tender cake but one with enough structure to hold its shape without going to pieces. That’s where the all purpose flour comes in. It has the perfect amount of protein to create that structure.
Espresso Powder – It’s essentially dried coffee, so it gives this cake an outstanding coffee flavor.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda – The leavenings used in this batter, baking powder and baking soda each make their own contributions to the texture and structure. Baking powder both starts and finishes the process of rise in this cake, starting as soon as it is mixed with liquid and continuing more robustly once it is in the oven. Baking soda reacts with the acidity in the sour cream and coffee to give the rise a boost while also neutralizing enough of the acidity to keep the cake from tasting sour.
Salt – Acts as a flavor enhancer, tempering the sweetness and bringing out the coffee notes in the cake.
Unsalted Butter – Adding richness, tenderness, and structure, unsalted butter also has a bright, fresh flavor and allows us to control the level of salt.
Granulated Sugar – While adding the perfect amount of sweetness, it also helps with the texture and structure of the cake.
Eggs – The binder that holds all the ingredients together, eggs also contribute structure, stability, moisture, and richness.
Vanilla Extract – While adding a subtle undertone, vanilla enhances the flavor of the coffee.
Sour Cream – is our secret ingredient! Since sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products, it creates a rich, moist cake that is oh-so delicious.
Strong Coffee or Espresso – Adding coffee to this cake along with the espresso creates a more complex and well-rounded flavor.
Chopped Chocolate – We used Ghiradelli 60% Bittersweet Chocolate Bars to give this cake a mocha flavor because we like the flavor and consistency of the bars when baked. We chopped them into chunks to ensure distribution throughout the batter so you have little pools of melted chocolate after the cake is baked.

espresso powder, flour, salt, coffee, butter, chopped chocolate, eggs, vanilla, sugar, sour cream, baking soda, and baking powder on marble surface with text overlaying each ingredient.

Helpful Tip: You can use instant coffee or finely grind your favorite coffee beans to use instead of espresso powder.

Let’s not forget the icing!

Powdered Sugar – Because it melts easily, powdered sugar ensures a smooth icing.
Espresso Powder – To give that little bit of coffee kick to the icing.
Vanilla Extract – While adding a subtle undertone, vanilla enhances the coffee flavor.
Whole Milk – Thins the icing to the correct consistency and adds a little bit of creaminess.

bowls of powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and espresso powder on marble surface with text overlaying each ingredient.

Let’s Be Friends ♡

A Step-by-Step Guide (With Photos!) To Show You The Process

Step 1: Whisk your dry ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.

four, leavening, espresso, and salt in glass bowl.

Step 2: Prepare the batter

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.

creamed butter and sugar in stand mixer.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add vanilla. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.

Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

flour stirred into egg and butter mixture.

Stir in coffee.

Stir in chocolate.

chopped chocolate added to coffee cake batter.

chopped chocolate stirred into cake batter.

Step 3: Bake

Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 90 minutes, or until cake tests done.

⊹ Success Tip! ⊹

When prepping your pan, line it with parchment paper with enough overhang to lift the cake out. This will not only make it much easier to get the cake out of the pan, but it also ensures the cake doesn’t stick to the bottom!

Step 4: Make the icing

Combine powdered sugar, espresso powder, vanilla, and milk in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.

espresso powder, powdered sugar, and milk in glass bowl.

Pour over cooled cake.

espresso loaf cake on marble serving plate with icing and chopped chocolate on top, white flowers, a wood handled knife, and bowl of chopped chocolate around.

✳ Recipe FAQ’s

Of course! Just keep in mind that, depending on the type of chocolate you use, you may or may not get the pools of melty chocolate inside the cake, but rather something more like our chocolate chip pound cake.

If sour cream isn’t an option, the next best thing to use would be a full-fat greek yogurt. We tested this multiple times with whole milk, buttermilk, and sour cream. We found that, when using milk, it created a dense and unevenly baked cake. Using sour cream (or greek yogurt) creates a light, moist, and delicious cake that comes out perfectly every time!

Sometimes, it can be hard to judge when a cake is properly baked. We always recommend using a cake tester or an instant read thermometer to see if/when the cake is baked through. A baked cake should read 200°F to 210°F.

Once this cake is baked and cooled, it can be kept in a covered cake plate for 2-3 days at room temperature or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze this loaf as a whole or in individual slices. Just be sure to wrap the slices in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer safe container or zip top bag!

More Cake Recipes You Will Love

– Still Hungry? –

Here are a few recipes may like!

Chocolate Chunk Espresso Sour Cream Loaf Cake

The Exact Texture of This Chocolate Espresso Cake

Why You Need The Following Ingredients (& Why We Don’t Recommend Making Substitutions!)

For the cake, you will need:

Let’s not forget the icing!

Let’s Be Friends ♡