I’m too hot (hot damn!)
Called a police and a fireman
I’m too hot (hot damn!)
Make a dragon wanna retire, man
I’m too hot (hot damn!)
Say my name, you know who I am
I’m too hot (hot damn!)

It was about 7 am and I had two cakes fresh out of the oven and cooling on the counter. I was brainstorming just how I was going to finish concocting this little masterpiece when Pandora played a song I’d never heard before: Uptown Funk. I usually have to warm up to new songs, but I immediately went to YouTube and played this one again and again. I was dancing around my kitchen, gettin’ my funk on. I knew, right then, that there was nothing else I could name this cake. I wonder if I should tell Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars that I named a cake after their song? Or that I’ve listened to it about 20 times a day since?

This is a funky cake. A creamy layer of coffee buttercream sits between two moist, fudgy coffee-infused chocolate cakes. Mocha cream cheese frosting melts down the sides after hot salted caramel is drizzled on the top. Finely chopped pecans are the final touch because why not.

Moist cakes like this one don’t slice and photo all pretty like a denser cake does, but the messiness of it only appeals to me more. It’s a beautiful, decadent discomposure. Once you refrigerate it though, it will firm up. It’s delicious cold, but I prefer to warm it in the microwave and have it for breakfast with a cup of coffee.

This is not a cake you make in a hurry. This is a special occasion cake, like a birthday, or an anniversary, or the season premier of The Walking Dead.

This is a rich cake. The coffee infusion brings out the chocolate’s natural sweetness, with no need to add a lot of sugar to the filling or frosting.

I took the cake over to my grandma, who made wedding cakes so good that people would drive for hours to buy them from her. If she approves – which she did, emphatically – then I know I have a winner.

The filling and frosting can both be made ahead of time and refrigerated until you’re ready to use it; a quick warm-up in the microwave will soften it for easy spreading. If you have any leftover cake, be sure to refrigerate it. Cream cheese frosting should be kept cold.

The dogs were at my feet all day, of course. Here they are eating the pecans that made it onto the floor. They were just so sure that, eventually, I’d drop some cake. They must have jinxed me because right after I took the photos of that slice of cake, guess where it ended up. I reacted quick though and Vern (the doxie) dropped it. I didn’t want them eating any since chocolate is toxic for dogs.

Before we go, I’m a tell y’all a lil’ something:
Uptown funk you up, said uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up, said uptown funk you up

Notes:

• Cake recipe adapted from Half Baked Harvest. Buttercream adapted from The Cake Blog.
• I tried simply greasing my non-stick cake pans, but the cake still stuck, so I recommend lining the cake pans with parchment paper.
• I use, and highly recommend, Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips. They are nothing short of amazing.
• I recommend the “Columbian Mild” flavor of Starbucks Via instant coffee packets. Use half the amount in the recipe if you want less coffee flavor in the frosting, because it is strong.
• If you only frost the top of the cake, there will be frosting left over if you follow the recipe here. To make just enough for the top, you will halve BOTH the recipe for the Coffee Buttercream and the Coffee Cream Cheese Frosting.

Follow Janus Lane’s board Cakes. Cookies, Sweets on Pinterest.

Uptown Funk Cake

A creamy layer of coffee buttercream sits between two moist, fudgy coffee-infused chocolate cakes. Mocha cream cheese frosting melts down the sides after hot salted caramel is drizzled on the top. Finely chopped pecans are the final touch.

• CourseDessert
• CuisineCake

Servings	Prep Time
8-10 slices	45 minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
25 minutes	30 minutes

Servings Prep Time 8-10 slices 45 minutes

Cook Time Passive Time 25 minutes 30 minutes

Uptown Funk Cake A creamy layer of coffee buttercream sits between two moist, fudgy coffee-infused chocolate cakes. Mocha cream cheese frosting melts down the sides after hot salted caramel is drizzled on the top. Finely chopped pecans are the final touch. CourseDessert CuisineCake Servings Prep Time 8-10 slices 45 minutes Cook Time Passive Time 25 minutes 30 minutes Servings Prep Time 8-10 slices 45 minutes Cook Time Passive Time 25 minutes 30 minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate cake (2 layers)

• 1 /12 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup Sour Cream Can be substituted for Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup coconut oil Can be substituted for Canola oil
• 3/4 cup hot, strong brewed coffee
• 2 eggs room temperature

Coffee Buttercream Filling

• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee mix
• 1 ounce hot water
• 2 ounces cream cheese softened

Coffee Cream Cheese Frosting (this will be ADDED to half of the coffee buttercream mixture)

• 6 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ounce hot water
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee mix
• 1/4 cup powdered (confectioner's) sugar use more or less depending on how sweet you want it

Salted Caramel

• 1/3 cup caramel chips
• 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp finely ground sea salt use more or less depending on how salty you want it
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans optional - can be substituted for anything you want

Servings: slices

Instructions

Cake Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 8" round cake pans with parchment paper, then spray with a non-stick spray or use your oil of choice to grease it.
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well combined.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer, or a metal or glass bowl if you are using an electric mixer, combine the eggs, buttermilk, sour cream, coconut oil, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
4. Add the dry ingredients 1/2 cup at a time while beating on low-to-medium speed. Add the hot coffee and continue beating until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Pour batter into each cake pan. Batter should be thin and easily pourable, but not runny. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until tops of cakes are set. Let cakes cool completely before removing them from the cake pans for the best chance at removing them in one piece. To remove the cake from the pan, run a butter knife along the inside edge of the pan, then take a large plate, place it on top of the pan, and invert the cake onto it.

Coffee Buttercream Instructions

1. Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in your stand mixer or a glass or metal bowl.
2. Place the mixing bowl on top of a pan of water to create the double broiler. Heat on medium-high, whisking often, until the egg mixture is hot (not scalding) to the touch.
3. Place the bowl in cold water to cool it back down - this should just take a few minutes, and you may need to refill the bowl with cold water once or twice. When the bowl is cooled (room temp), whisk the egg mixture on high until it too is cooled back to room temperature.
4. Add the softened butter a few tablespoons at a time while mixing on medium speed. Mix in the cream cheese and vanilla extract. Dissolve the instant coffee in the hot water and mix it into the buttercream.
5. Place half of the mixture in a separate bowl and refrigerate for about 15 minutes, then spread onto the top of the first layer of cake. Carefully place the second cake on top of the buttercream.

Coffee Cream Cheese frosting instructions

1. While the buttercream for the filling is firming up in the refrigerator, add the 6 ounces of softened cream cheese to the remaining half of the buttercream and beat until well blended.
2. Add the unsweetened cocoa powder and the confectioner's sugar and mix on medium. Dissolve the instant coffee in the hot water and add to the frosting. When the frosting is fully blended, place in refrigerator to firm up. Stir often to ensure the entire mixture gets firm. If the cream cheese is not warm enough to mix well, you can use the double broiler technique again to warm the mixture up, and add an extra 10-15 minutes to the refrigeration time.

Salted Caramel Instructions

1. Place the caramel chips, whipping cream, and salt in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high in 15-second increments, stirring often, until melted.
2. Drizzle on top of frosted cake. Simply reheat if caramel starts to thicken back up. Top it all off with the pecans, or the topping of your choice.

Recipe Notes

Make sure all your cream cheese, butter, and oil is room temperature, otherwise you'll be mixing forever.

If you only frost the top of the cake, there will be frosting left over if you follow the recipe here. To make just enough for the top, you will halve BOTH the recipe for the Coffee Buttercream and the Coffee Cream Cheese Frosting.

Share this Recipe

Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe