Frosting & Buttercream

This post has been sponsored by Coffee-mate® Creamer. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rich layers of espresso filled chocolate cake topped with whipped cookies and cream buttercream, a drizzle of chocolate ganache and more buttercream make this Mocha Cookies and Cream Cake a decadent dessert sure to please the chocolate lovers in your life!

Imagine a quiet afternoon with no kids, no distractions and and hour to yourself.  Now, imagine holding a big cup of steaming, hot coffee topped off with Coffee-mate® Cookies & Cream creamer while seated comfortably on the couch under a cozy blanket with a big slice of cake to indulge in.

Sounds like heaven right?

Let me tell you… it was.  This was me about two weeks ago, right before my kids were home for 13 days (snow days and spring break) enjoying a few cherished moments of silence.

Feeling inspired by my new favorite Coffee-mate Dessert Creamer in the Cookies & Cream flavor, I decided to recreate the magic of that afternoon in cake form.

However in order to make this Mocha Cookies and Cream Cake I needed a recipe!  I knew I’d start with my chocolate cake recipe, but I needed to kick it up a big notch by adding more espresso to the batter to really bring out the coffee flavor.

Two tablespoons of espresso powder to be exact!

Two tablespoons of espresso in one cake means there will truly be a strong coffee flavor to the chocolate cake making it mocha-licious!

The Coffee-mate® Cookies & Cream Creamer reminds me of what it tastes like when I eat a chocolate cream sandwich cookie and dunk it in milk.  I like my cookie extra soaked in milk so it gets mushy and melts in my mouth and the Coffee-mate Cookies & Cream creamer tastes exactly like that… but with coffee!

To replicate the cookies and cream flavor for the frosting in the Mocha Cookies and Cream Cake, I decided to start with a basic vanilla buttercream recipe.

I would whip the vanilla buttercream until it was light and fluffy and then fold in 16 crushed chocolate cream sandwich cookies!  The cookies would need to be a little chunky so when I bite into the frosting, I get a piece of cookie in several bites.

To add some pizzazz to the cake, I knew it needed to not only taste good, but it needed to look spectacular!

Drip cake! Yes! Chocolate ganache dripping down the sides of the cake would take this mocha cookies and cream cake over the top!  Swirls of cookies and cream buttercream and a few whole coffee beans on top make the cake perfects!

For supplies, I knew I only had one choice of stores to stock up on supplies for this sinfully delicious Mocha Cookies and Cream Cake… Walmart!

What I love about Walmart is that the location in my neighborhood is so close to me making shopping incredibly convenient!  Walmart is my go-to place for easy shopping trips,  especially when I’m on a budget.

Did you know that you can get Coffee-mate Dessert Creamers in three different flavors at Walmart?  They’re super easy to find at the store… located with the rest of the coffee creamers in the cold dairy section.  These creamers are NEW and only available seasonally so if you want to try them, you have to act fast!

You already know I’m sold on the Cookies & Cream flavor but there’s also Toasted Marshmallow Mocha and Coconut Caramel Latte that you won’t want to miss out on either.

And on May 10-13th you might even be lucky enough to try Coffee-mate Dessert Creamers in your local Walmart store!

Find your local Walmart store here: https://www.walmart.com/store/finder

So, the next time you’re sitting down to enjoy a quiet afternoon with your cup of coffee, make sure you’re using Coffee-mate Dessert Creamers… you never know what kind of dessert you’ll be inspired to make next!

Check here for more inspiration and details on the new Coffee-mate Dessert Creamers at Walmart!

I really hope you enjoy this Mocha Cookies and Cream Cake as much as I did, my photographer did and everyone we shared it with!

Happy Baking!

Mocha Cookies and Cream Cake

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Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• 1 1/2 cups brewed coffee
• 2 Tbsp espresso powder
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup, (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2lbs powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 Tbs vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 16 chocolate sandwich cookies
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease, line with parchment paper and flour 2 9-inch cake pans.
2. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter. Add the coffee, espresso powder, cocoa powder, and vanilla and whisk until combined. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a large bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream and the eggs. SLOWLY add a few tablespoons of the chocolate mixture to the sour cream and eggs. Whisk to combine. In a slow stream, whisk in the remaining chocolate mixture until combined completely.
5. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in wet. Using a whisk, stir until no more lumps remain.
6. Divide the batter evenly into the 2 prepared pans. Each pan should get 3 cups of batter.
7. Bake 26-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing from the pans to cool on a wire rack.
8. Once the cakes have cooled, but are still warm, use a cake leveler to cut off the round mound on the top of the cake. Make sure both layers are the same height.

Cookies n' Cream Buttercream

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and half the cream until smooth.
2. Mix in the vanilla and salt and mix to combine.  Scrape the bowl.
3. With the mixer on low, add the remaining cream.  Whip on high speed for 3-4 minutes.
4. Crush the sandwich cookies until coarse.  Add to the buttercream and mix until just combined.

Chocolate Ganache

1. In a small pan, heat heavy cream to a simmer.  Do not boil.
2. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips in a medium bowl.  Let sit for 3 minutes without stirring.
3. With a spatula, stir slowly until all the chocolate has melted.
4. Add butter and stir to combine.
5. Pour into a squeeze bottle.

Assembly

1. Place the first cooled cake layer on your cake stand/plate, cut side up.  Spread a layer of frosting onto of that layer evenly.
2. Place the second layer on top, cut side down.  Fill in the sides where the layers come together so that the frosting in the center extends all the way to the edge.
3. Spread a very thin coat of frosting over the entire cake.  Chill for 20-30 minutes.
4. Fill a 12in piping bag fitted with an open start tip with frosting.  Use the remaining frosting to completely cover the cake.
5. Use a straight edge to smooth out the top and edges of the cake.
6. Using the squeeze bottle, start in the center of the top of the cake and squeeze the ganache in an circular pattern until it just reaches the edge of the cake.  Use a flat edge (spatula or knife) to press the chocolate over the edges causing a drip.  If necessary, squeeze more chocolate on the edges in places that need more dripped chocolate. Allow to set for 10 minutes to set.
7. Pipe swirls of frosting on top of the cake equally around the edge of the cake.
8. Garnish with coffee beans.