Pumpkin Mocha Donut Cake

Pumpkin Mocha Donut Cake

If you like donuts….

and coffee….

and pumpkin….

well then you have stopped by the right place today!

It’s a Pumpkin Mocha Donut Cake.

It has all the delicious flavors of a Pumpkin Mocha, mixed with the best parts of a filled donut and yes there are cute sprinkles on top as well! It’s cuteness overload.

One whiff of this and you will want it for breakfast every day of Fall.

It’s a donut so it’s perfectly acceptable to eat it for breakfast! Trust me!

How to cool coffee quickly for baking

To cool the coffee quickly so you can add it to the cake mix and frosting, place the coffee in a bowl over a larger bowl full of ice water. It will cool the coffee very quickly, otherwise if you add hot coffee the eggs will begin to cook in the cake batter, and the butter will melt in the frosting. If you have leftover coffee, pour it over ice with some milk or cream and enjoy a homemade  iced coffee.

Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Pumpkin Mocha Donut Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 box German Chocolate Cake Mix
  • 1/2 cup coffee brewed with 16 oz water.(I used Starbucks Italian Roast)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

  • The strongly brewed coffee will replace the water in preparing the cake mix and also be used for the frosting for the filling and the icing.
  • Mix cake mix with 1 1/4 cups strong brewed cooled coffee, oil, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and eggs on low for 30 seconds then medium for 2 minutes.
  • Spray cake pans with baking spray.
  • Split batter into the two donut pans or this could be baked in a bundt pan and cut across the middle to add the filling.
  • Bake the two donut pans for 25-30 minutes on 325 as they are dark coated.
  • Cool cake for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool completely on wire rack.
  • Frosting for filling:
  • half cup butter
  • one and a half cups powdered sugar
  • two tablespoons strongly brewed coffee
  • quarter teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • a few drops orange food coloring
  • Mix until smooth and spread onto the evened cake and place the other piece of cake on top.
  • Icing on top:
  • one cup powdered sugar
  • one tablespoon cocoa
  • one teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • one tablespoon strongly brewed coffee
  • (a few drops of white food coloring lightened up the dark brown to a pretty color)
  • Pour the icing on top of the cake and add sprinkles.

Notes

If you bake this in a bundt pan, check package for baking time.
This could also be baked in two 8" round cake pans. If you'd like the frosting or icing thinner add a teaspoon of water at a time until desired consistency is achieved. If you prefer frosting or icing thicker add more powdered sugar.

 

As soon as I saw these cute Entenmann’s Jumbo Donut Cake Pans I just had to have them, I love baking donuts and couldn’t wait to make a donut cake. Will it being October and the unofficial PUMPKIN month is sure seemed like a good idea to make it a cozy warm Pumpkin Mocha flavor.

I evened off the cakes a bit so they would be flat when the filling was added and yeah I had fun eating the parts I cut off, you know quality control and all….I have to test them, right?

 

 

After I made the icing, it was just a little darker in color than I wanted, so I added some white food coloring to brighten it up a bit and it turned out just how I would have imagined a Pumpkin Mocha color would look, all warm and full of the colors of Fall.

What is your favorite part about Fall, is it the cooler weather, the leaves all turning colors, or is it all the yummy Fall flavors?

22 Comments

  1. I am in love with that huge donut pan!!! I love all things pumpkin, chocolate, and coffee…especially when they are all in one recipe!!! This is awesome!!!!

  2. This looks awesome. But cake mixes aren’t readily available where I live. What is the equivalent of German Chocolate Cake Mix if you should make it from schratch?

  3. This cake looks awesome and I was excited to make it for my daughter’s birthday, however I have to make many adjustments as the recipe does not work as written! Where does the pumpkin purée go in? And the filling frosting is now where near as thick as the picture shows. And the top icing is missing something as it is not possible to mix a whole cup of powdered sugar and a tablespoon of coca with one tablespoon of liquid. Would love to try this again with the corrected recipe.

    1. Let me try to clarify the instructions so you can make this successfully. The pumpkin puree is added along with the rest of the list of ingredients (cooled coffee, oil, pumpkin pie spice and eggs), somehow I missed adding it to the instructions.
      If the filling frosting is thinner than you would like, add more powdered sugar. Just as in any frosting if you need it thicker add more powdered sugar. Warmer weather will effect how thick/thin frosting will be along with what temperature your butter is at when you begin. The icing on top,has a tablespoon of coffee, white food coloring (which is liquid) and that was plenty of liquid for the glaze to stay in place when I applied it. If you need it thinner ad water If the glaze is to thin it will run down the cake and not stay in place, this was a thick glaze, add liquid a little at a time, sometime I use a dropper to get the perfect consistency I’m looking for, or a spray bottle works well too. I post about glaze icing often and forget that some people are maybe be as familiar with adjustments for it. When making glaze icing or frosting recipes the trick to the perfect consistency you are looking for is in the liquid and powdered sugar, always have it at hand for adjustments. I hope that is more helpful, let me know if you need any further clarifying on the recipe.
      Happy Baking!
      ~Diane

  4. Thank you for the clarifications. My cake turned out pretty tasty even though I messed it up! Can’t wait to try it with the pumpkin in the cake! I ended up adding some pumpkin along with powdered sugar to the filling, it cut the sweetness a little and added some nice flavor.

  5. Long time fan of your recipes. I am not sure about the coffee in this recipe, how much of brewed coffee is actually going into the batter?

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