Chocolate Espresso and Chocolate Marble Espresso Chiffon Cake Recipes

Espresso is enjoyed with a wide range of sweets, from Turkish and Greek baklava to Spanish churros, from Scottish scones to French croissants. But espresso not only tastes great alongside sweet treats and desserts — it can work amazingly well as part of the dessert as well. A prime example of this: Chocolate Espresso Chiffon Cake.

What is chiffon cake?

Butter is used in countless cake recipes, but chiffon cakes are an exception — and that includes espresso chiffon cake, which uses cooking oil instead of butter. Many of the ingredients used in chiffon cakes are traditional cake ingredients, including sugar, eggs, and flour. But the espresso chiffon cake and other chiffon cake recipes make a point of replacing butter with a cooking oil such as olive oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, or canola oil. Like sponge cakes, an espresso chiffon cake is moist and lighter than butter-oriented cakes.

Chocolate Espresso Chiffon Cake

Servings: 14

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons, espresso powder or instant coffee crystals 
• ½ cup, cooking oil 
• 8 eggs 
• 1 and ½ cups, sugar 
• ¾ cups, water 
• 2 cups, all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon, baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon, salt 
• 1 teaspoon, vanilla
• ½ teaspoon, cream of tartar 
• 1 recipe, espresso whipped cream
• 3 oz., grated bittersweet chocolate

Instructions:

1. Separate the whites and yolks of the 8 eggs.
2. Only use 5 of the egg yolks and exclude the other 3. 
3. Leave the eggs at room temperature for half an hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 325 F/162C.
5. Dissolve the espresso powder or instant coffee in water and set it aside.
6. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
7. Add the cooking oil, vanilla, dissolved espresso, and 5 egg yolks.
8. Beat the bowl’s contents gently until they are moistened; then, beat more aggressively for 4 or 5 minutes.
9. Add the grated chocolate.
10. Wash and dry the egg beaters.
11. Place the egg whites (of all 8 eggs) and the cream of tartar in a 4-quart bowl and beat. 
12. Place the chocolate batter over the surface of the egg whites and blend.
13. Place the ingredients in an ungreased 10-inch tube pan.
14. Bake the chocolate espresso chiffon cake for 60-70 minutes.

Chocolate Marble Espresso Chiffon Cake

Servings: 12

Ingredients for the cake:

• 2 tablespoons, instant espresso powder
• 2 tablespoons, coffee liqueur or brewed espresso
• 7 large eggs
• 1 large egg white
• ⅔ cup, cooking oil 
• ⅓ cup, unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder 
• 9 oz., cake flour
• 1 and ½ cups, granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons, baking powder
• 1 teaspoon, table salt
• ⅔ cup, sour cream
• 4 oz., dark chocolate (60% to 70% cacao), very finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon, pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for the glaze:

• 4 oz., milk or dark chocolate, chopped 
• ¼ cup, heavy cream 
• 1 tablespoon, coffee liqueur or brewed espresso

Instructions for the chocolate marble espresso chiffon cake:

1. Place a baking rack in the lower third of the oven, which should be pre-heated to 325F/165C. 
2. Keep a non-greased nonstick 10×4-inch cake pan nearby.
3. Place 7 yolks in a small bowl and 8 egg whites in a medium bowl.
4. Place the cocoa powder and 5 tablespoons of hot tap water in a large bowl and stir.
5. In a different large bowl, combine the espresso powder with the coffee liqueur or brewed espresso and stir.
6. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the granulated sugar, the baking powder, and salt, followed by the egg yolks, vanilla, sour cream, and cooking oil. Using a hand-held mixer, beat this mixture until it is totally blended.
7. Continue beating for another 3 minutes.
8. Add half of the batter to the cocoa mixture; then, add the chopped chocolate and blend it in.
9. Stir the espresso mixture and add the rest of the batter.
10. Use a hand-held mixer to beat the egg whites on a low-medium speed for about 1 minute. Then, increase the speed to medium and beat the whites for another 1 ½ minutes. 
11. Slowly add the rest of the granulated sugar and beat for another 1 ½ minutes.
12. Evenly divide the egg whites between the espresso and chocolate batters and blend.
13. Pour around one-third of the espresso batter onto the bottom of the cake pan; then, place roughly the same amount of the espresso batter on top. 
14. Bake the espresso chiffon cake for about an hour until it is golden brown.

Instructions for the glaze:

1. Place the milk or dark chocolate, cream, and coffee liqueur or espresso in a heat-friendly bowl and stir.
2. Place the bowl over a saucepan of water that is barely simmering and heat the mixture.
3. Let the glaze cool for about 15 minutes. Then, apply it to the top of the chocolate marble espresso chiffon cake.