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This Mexican chocolate cake is the richest, most moist chocolate cake you’ve ever had, kicked up with cinnamon and a hint of cayenne pepper! Easy to make as a sheet cake and topped with to-die-for cinnamon buttercream.
I am in grave danger of slipping into hyperbole in my efforts to describe this cake to you. So in an effort to avoid overstating things, I’ll stick to the fundamentals.
There’s chocolate. There’s frosting. There’s sugar — and butter. A pretty generous amount of each, but hey, it’s a sheet cake, so most likely getting divided quite a few ways. Or, uh, maybe just over quite a few days. Anyway, let’s not focus on that.
To recap, the important elements are: chocolate, frosting, and — spices.
Mexican Chocolate Cake
As I’m sure will obvious from reading any further, this is a wholly simplified, American-ized version of a “Mexican chocolate” cake.
Out of curiosity, I recently read a bit about what makes Mexican chocolate special. This research piqued my interest, but unfortunately, if there is any place in Belgium where one can buy authentic Mexican chocolate, this American girl has not found it. And moreover, you’ll be able to knock me over with a feather if I ever do. The Belgians have a lot of confidence in their own chocolate tradition, thankyouverymuch — and rightly so — so I’m not surprised there’s not much importing.
So, when we eventually find ourselves back on the left side of the Atlantic, I look forward to finding and trying some genuine Mexican chocolate. In the meantime, I’ve made do in baked goods by taking plain old unsweetened cocoa powder and adding a little spice myself – mostly cinnamon, a little cayenne. And my taste testers have registered zero complaints.
Bundt vs. Sheet Cake
This cake started with a bundt version I found on I Bake He Shoots, but I personally had a lot of trouble getting the bundt out of the pan intact, despite trying every trick in the book. Eventually I concluded the problem was basically that the cake was too moist to reliably slide out of my pan. (Maybe I need a better bundt pan? Who knows.)
But, given that a too moist cake is not a real problem, I didn’t want to change the cake make-up too much. As a result, I changed the technique, slightly, and form, to a simple 9″x13″ sheet cake. Perhaps less pretty than the bundt cake, but far less subject to unattractive crevasses, at least as easy to serve to a crowd, and most importantly, an invitation to add frosting. 🙂
Obviously you could add any frosting you desire, but I highly encourage you to try this simple cinnamon buttercream. My only regret is that I didn’t make a double batch of it, to squirrel away in a secret place for me to eat with a spoon on tough days.
Use Real Chocolate Sprinkles!
And finally, some chocolate sprinkles on top, because, really, why not?
One of the things I will decidedly miss in the Belgian chocolate department is the ready availability of chocolate sprinkles that are actually chocolate, like those pictured above, not simply “chocolate-flavored.” (Whatever that means!) I might try to pack an entire suitcase full of these guys and bring back my own personal lifetime supply.
Whether you make this for Cinco de Mayo, another Mexican-inspired meal, or just your usual Saturday, I hope it earns rave reviews at your house as it does at mine!
Just look at those sweet little slices. They practically beg you to take a little forkful, don’t they?
Enjoy! ♥
Mexican Chocolate Cake with Cinnamon Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1-2 Tablespoons instant espresso powder
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Frosting
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, , at room temperature
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tablespoons milk
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in the cocoa and espresso powder, followed by the water and sugar, whisking each addition until smooth. Remove pan from heat and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, pepper, and chocolate chips; mix briefly and set aside.
- Return to the butter-chocolate mixture. Add eggs and vanilla, then whisk until they are fully incorporated. Gently stir in the flour mixture using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, then pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, beat butter until smooth using a stand or electric mixer. Add salt and vanilla, then beat again to incorporate.
- Add powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons milk, and beat until smooth and fluffy, starting on low speed to blend, then increasing the speed to high. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is well-mixed, and adjust the consistency as needed by adding more milk or powdered sugar. Finally, beat in the cinnamon.
- Frost and garnish cake as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My husband says this is the best cake he’s ever tasted. I modified to make it dairy and gluten free. The cake was so moist and the cinnamon icing was the perfect complement. Thanks for the great recipe!!
Hi Wendy, this looks so delicious! Can this cake be frozen? I would like to prepare for a fundraiser where it will be auctioned off with Mexican restaurant gift certificates to be enjoyed later. Thanks.
Do you have to add expresso?
No, it is just a flavor enhancer.
Made this for a “holiday fiesta” Christmas party. After baking, I let the cake cool for 20 minutes before removing it from the pan and placing on a wire rack to cool. About 2 hours later, I tried to remove it from the rack unto a platter and it split in half vertically. However, the icing covered the crack just beautifully!
For the icing, I only used 2 cups powdered sugar and added more salt to cut the sweetness. This cake was a hit with my coworkers!!
I am so glad it worked out- thank you for taking the time to leave this detailed review! I’m so glad your coworkers enjoyed it.
I made this cake for our Sunday lunch at church because the theme was Mexican 😊 The flavor was amazing and it was gobbled all up! to get it to be more cake like, what did I do wrong? It came out like a brownie 😅 I followed all to a T. When I added the flour, it was a lil lumpy from it not getting dissolved but still it rose wonderfully. I didn’t want to over stir. Will be my go to for future gathering 🤗
The flavor of this cake is next level! But every time I make it, it is the crumbliest disaster of a cake. I am usually a pretty competent baker, I have made a variety of cakes in different flavors and styles. I have tried this recipe twice now, thinking the first was user error, but both times have resulted in a very crumbly, messy cake. I followed the directions exactly, no substitutions or “shortcuts,” but still ended up with a pile of (delicious!) crumbs. This would be an amazing recipe for cake pops, where crumbles are fine!
My son asked for a Mexican Chocolate cake for his 10th birthday. I am an experienced baker and must admit, by the time I had the batter ready I was dubious that this would turn out- the batter seemed really wet to me. I baked it in 2 layers for 28min at 325 and they came out *beautifully*! The texture of the cake is perfect- moist and rich and packed with flavor. I pared it with a French vanilla buttercream for decorating purposes but next time I’ll try the cinnamon. My husband (who doesn’t even like cake) has eaten 3-4 slices. This is probably the first 9′ double layer cake my little family will eat the entirety of. I will be making this one again and again!
I’m so, so happy to hear that! Yes, I agree, the batter *is* thin! I am so glad it came out well for you, especially for a special birthday. My son just turned 10 earlier this year as well! I’m especially glad this came out well for you as a layer cake, since many other readers have asked about trying that. Thank you for leaving this helpful feedback and I hope you and your family enjoyed the entire cake! <3
I’ve made this recipe the past 3yrs for my husband’s birthday, we love it so much! Could it be made as cupcakes? If yes, how long would I bake them? Or, if I were to cut the recipe in half, what size pan and how long would I bake it?
I cut the recipe in half and made cupcakes. I checked them at 18 minutes and then baked them another 5 (total 23 minutes) and they came out perfect! 🙂
I’ve made this cake twice now because my son-in-law requested it for his birthday last year, and I made it again this year. The second time I increased the cayenne pepper to 3/4 of a teaspoon, because he is an aficionado of hot food. Other than that, I made no changes. It is exceptionally delicious, very flavorful cake. I don’t intend this time to wait for his birthday to roll around again to make it!
I love this! Thank you so much for leaving this review. Happy birthday to your son-in-law, and lucky him to have such a great Mom-in-law!
Could you bake this in two round pans? How do you think that would affect baking time?
Yes for sure – I would start checking for doneness at or soon after the 20 minute mark – it might take closer to 25-28 minutes, but better safe than sorry! I will say – if you plan to stack those round cakes as a layer cake, this cake is extremely moist and you may have difficulty getting them out cleanly and holding shape in a stack. If you just want round cakes, not an issue, though!
This is my granddaughter’s favorite cake. I make it for her birthday. I usually increase the icing by 1/2. Don’t try to split the layers. The cake is just too moist. (Discovered that the hard way)
I did three 8” rounds! Put gobs of cinnamon Swiss meringue buttercream and topped the whole thing with a chocolate ganache and it was perfection. I will say, I knew this was a moist cake so I drove a big round boba straw through the center to keep it from falling apart and it was perfect. I finished it by speckling gold fleck on it and sprinkling a little cinnamon on top. Also threw some cinnamon sticks on top with some chocolate sprinkles and it was a huuuuuuge hit for a 40th birthday party. My Latina heart was happy it was so appreciated. Now if I could just figure out how to make it gluten free I’d be on a roll. I bet these would make awesome cupcakes too maybe with a marshmallow buttercream on top that you could torch and call it a Mexican hot chocolate cupcake.
Hi… I’ve not yet made this cake but looking forward to doing so… Could you tell me what powdered sugar is please? Is it the same as granulated sugar? Many thanks…
Hi, good morning! Powdered sugar is the same as confectioners’ sugar or, in the UK, icing sugar. Which of course is much more finely ground than granulated. So definitely look for icing sugar for use in the frosting. Thank you and I’m glad that you checked! Enjoy!