Easy Chocolate Coffee Cakes

Individual Moist Chocolate Cakes

We love a plain and simple chocolate fondant cake. Served individually in French restaurants as a classic on most dessert menus in France, they're known as moelleux au chocolat (lava cakes).

Served with a dollop of ice cream or in a puddle of crème anglaise, a thinner French version of custard, it's the dessert my youngest daughter has chosen for years. No wonder; it's a crowd pleaser and simply delicious!

These chocolate coffee cakes are similar to fondant lavas in that they're super moist but without the extra runny middle and contain a much more pronounced coffee flavour.

Why Add Coffee to Chocolate Cake?

Coffee powder added to chocolate cake intensifies the flavour of dark chocolate. Just try it in this chocolate fondant cake with ginger. Normally we don't taste it that much with just a hint to bring out the chocolate - just like salt enhances chocolate's flavour. But the coffee enthusiasts amongst you surely will detect it in these.

However, that's not all in the taste department. The espresso in the chocolate coffee glaze leaps out plus intensifies the chocolate flavour even further. And for those who prefer to skip the caffeine, simply swap it out for decaffeinated coffee.

How Much Coffee in the Cakes?

So, if you prefer yours with a stronger coffee flavour, add the glaze - otherwise leave it out. For 6 individual fondant cakes, I use one teaspoon of powdered coffee without overpowering the quality of the chocolate.

Chocolate Coffee Cake Recipe Low in Sugar

If you know my recipes by now, we have gradually reduced sugar in our French desserts, inspired by the bittersweet flavours of our famous pâtisseries in Paris. It's true! Our top French pastry chefs don't make desserts sweet - that way we can taste the ingredients better, as long as you're using good quality chocolate (dark bittersweet at least 65% cacao).

Moreover, with the added bonus of chocolate's fatigue-fighting magnesium, these cakes are the perfect indulgence without the guilt.

We love that this recipe is also easier on the butter than in most fondant cakes. They're moist, fudgy and dense: a perfectly rewarding teatime or dessert treat.

How to Make Chocolate-Coffee Cakes

First melt the chocolate, coffee powder and butter together over a bain-marie, then add the sugar (or coconut sugar if you prefer). More details in the recipe card below.

Add the rest of the ingredients into the melted chocolate, butter and coffee just until blended, then spoon into a buttered 6-cavity muffin tin (no need if non-stick or silicone).

Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on their size. For 5 slightly bigger cakes, bake for 10 minutes otherwise bake for 8 minutes if you make 6.
Leave to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before turning them out on a wire rack.

More Chocolate Cake!

Looking for something more structured for a special occasion? Try this layered chocolate cake with ganache - it takes more time but worth it plus also matures well over the next few days.

Chocolate Coffee Cakes and Glaze

These chocolate and coffee cakes are adapted from part of a recipe by top pastry chef, Jonathan Blot, featured in the 4th issue of the French Fou de Patisserie magazine. I lightened it up with less butter and an additional egg white, making it the perfect quick teatime bake.

For those following a gluten-free diet, swap out regular flour with ground hazelnuts, as shown in the photo below.

Although optional, the chocolate and coffee (mocha) glaze is an extra quick topping that just gives you that extra café boost. Either use caffeinated or decaf.

This is a pourable chocolate glaze, not a thick icing. As there's no butter, sugar or cream in the glaze, it will look quite liquid when warm and will naturally thicken as it cools, setting to a soft, glossy finish.
By next day it will harden on top of each cake - and remember, they mature well so will taste even better next day and the next.

Can I Make Them Ahead? Do They Freeze Well?

The good news is that this recipe is quick enough to make at the last minute. If serving for a dinner party, however, it's best you make them a day in advance. Although, avoid preparing just the batter in advance: leave it to sit for too long, and the butter will separate and make the cakes oily. So bake them fully first.

Even better, they freeze well. Simply defrost and gently reheat as they're delicious served slightly warmed.

How to Serve

To enjoy them at their best and most moist, serve these chocolate coffee cakes slightly warm. For a total choco immersion, enjoy for dessert warmed topped with an extra silky chocolate sauce that's typical of the one we enjoy in Paris.

See my whole collection of healthy chocolate recipes.