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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.
Hi, can I use this recipe to make a layer cake? We are going to a Mexican birthday dinner and I want great flavors, this looks delicious 😋. Thx
Hi Leslie, yes, you can – but be very sure to grease the pans thoroughly, and consider using a layer of parchment in them, as well, since the cakes are very moist and can be difficult to get out of the pan intact!
I’ve made a similar cake (Beatty’s), so I understand this batter is thin, however I had to add about 1/2 cup additional flour, as it was too watery. prior to adding flour, I baked a little tester, and can understand why some of the comments spoke about needing longer baking time, and the outer edges baking much faster than the middle. it does have great flavor.
I made this cake and had to use my kitchen aid mixer to incorporate the flour. Also cooking time was much longer than noted. I used a glass baking pan and maybe that had something to do with the longer cooking time. I had to bake 45 minutes to get a clean center on the toothpick. The frosting was made as directed and is delicious!
Delicious! Took 40 minutes to bake.
I made this cake for the first time today and had difficulty getting it done! I followed instructions exactly and it took probably 42-45 minutes before the center of the cake set. The outside was done 10-15 minutes before the middle. Any ideas on why that happened? I made the cinnamon icing recommended but might make an espresso frosting that’s not quite so sweet. Either way the family has assured me they’ll “love” it. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Ellen, sorry to hear you had trouble! Some variance in baking times is normal, of course, but that seems extreme – can you share what kind of pan you used (size, metal vs. glass, etc.)?
I don’t think the ratio is right 2 cups of water for 2 cups of flour unless you want us to keep cooking the cocoa powder with expresso powder until water is reduced. I agree with the woman who said that she added more flour. Could you clarify why so much water for 2 cups of flour?
Hi Myrna! I find that that ratio is what makes the finished cake so tender and moist, but you can certainly experiment with less water or more flour if you prefer a different texture!
yes you are right. I put less water than your recipe stated, and it was a little dense but it was so delicious. I have been looking everywhere for a Mexican cake and Wow!!! I couldn’t stop eating it. I will try substituting the water with coffee like some people have done, and I might have to switch one cup of flour for one cup of wheat flour since I am prediabetic. Has anybody substituted the water for buttermilk? I might have to do this to make the wheat flour fluffier. I don’t know how to bake just looking for a delicious chocolate cake for my cravings and this one is a keeper. Thanks so much Monica.
I love it! I just ate it with no frosting and couldn’t stop eating it.
This cake was outstanding! I made it today for a Mexican themed gathering and everyone loved it.
So happy to hear that, Liz, thank you for leaving this review!!
Oh. My. Goodness. I made this last night for an extended family dinner. Soon after folks dove into their slices, everything went quite except for mmm’s and wows. As one person said, “This is in the top five cakes I have ever eaten.” Everyone agreed.
Love this cake, moist and rich in chocolate, so do the folks I shared it with.
I found that gently blending the flour in was not adequate. Had I not used my hand held mixer the flour would never have been thoroughly incorporated. I mixed just long enough to see no more flour. It was a wonderful texture as well as the taste.
I’ve made this cake twice, the 1st time I decided to try a little fresh lemon juice and zest in the frosting the 2nd time I just followed the recipe. I preferred the tang of the lemon to offset the heat and counter balance the richness of the chocolate. Either way delicious, just a personal preference. Thank you Monica.
I made cupcakes from this recipe using gluten free flour and they turned out delicious!
That is so great to know! Thank you for taking the time to leave this helpful review!
Great cake! I used brewed coffee with a cinnamon essence in place of the water and espresso powder, increased the cinnamon in the batter, and I also made more of the frosting. It was really moist!
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing your feedback!