Goldilocks is a well-known institution of baked goods and pastries in the Philippines. Even though I can easily go to their Vancouver location to get my mocha cake fix, I’ve always dreamed of baking a copycat so I can enjoy it anytime at home and knowing the ingredients in the cake I’m eating.
Finally, this summer, I set out to do just that. I got insanely lucky on my first try of the series and the flavor and texture was right on. My family declared it identical to (and even better than) Goldilocks. It was too good to be true and I can tell you that I got teary eyed on the final tasting of the buttercream after tweaking the flavors. Just to be sure, I’ve baked it numerous times since that first time. It helps that another batch of cake is requested before the current one gets eaten, so I don’t have to bury my face in mocha cake. Hah! One cake is just not enough. In fact, I’ve been asked not to post it on the blog because it really does taste like the real thing. However, what kind of food blogger am I if, after all the testing and perfecting, I don’t share it? That pretty much defeats my purpose for this site.
So here it is, one item off my To-Cook-and-Bake-From-Scratch list:
This was my sister-in-law's birthday cake.
The mocha cake from Goldilocks defined my love for cakes at an early age. What cake do I want for my birthday? Goldilocks mocha cake please!
Back in university, whenever I felt down, all I needed was a quick jeepney ride to Philcoa to order a half roll of mocha cake and — gasp — finish most of it myself. [Either that, or Betty's Sans Rival.] I was shameless and guiltless in my 5 foot frame and in the 90-pound mark then. These days, I don’t want to think about that, but I still want to a slice of mocha cake or two with my cup of coffee.
The cake is light, fluffy, and soft, and the icing is a luscious combination of extra smooth coffee and cocoa, buttery but not greasy. To get the authentic taste, you will need to use Nescafe coffee granules. You can also use espresso granules (= coffee taste is bolder and more pronounced) or Starbucks VIA Italian roast (=icing has bitter and sour notes), but it’s up to you if you want to use what you have available. You will also need amaretto, an Italian almond liqueur to finish off the flavor and must not be skipped. I’ve never tried to substitute it with anything, so I cannot advise you on that for now. I’ll try making this with almond extract next time and see if that can be used!
Please enjoy!
The recipe can be made into a two-layer 9-inch round cake or a roll. I’ve included instructions for the roll in the recipe Notes if you want to take a stab at it.
MOCHA CAKE ala GOLDILOCKS
INGREDIENTS
For the Cake:
- 6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon coffee/espresso granules [Nescafe instant coffee recommended]
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon water
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 6 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
For the Mocha Buttercream
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, soft, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon coffee/espresso granules
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 5 teaspoons water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 teaspoons amaretto
TOOLS & EQUIPMENT: hand mixer or stand mixer, 2 9”x2” cake pans, 2 baking sheets, parchment paper cake comb (optional, for decoration); OR a 10.5”x15.5”x1” jelly roll pan if making a roll
PREPARATION
1. For the Cake: Preheat oven to 375°F with racks in the upper middle and lower middle positions. Spray two 9”x2” round cake pans with baking spray, and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer) over low, then medium speed, until creamy and light yellow in color.
3. Dissolve espresso or coffee granules and cocoa powder in water and vanilla in a small bowl, getting rid of lumps while stirring. Pour into the egg-sugar mixture, along with canola oil, and beat until well combined.
4. Remove large bowl from stand mixer (if using one) and sift cake flour and baking powder over it. Stir with a wooden spoon until well blended, scraping the sides of the bowl once.
5. Whisk egg whites and cream of tartar into stiff peaks in a medium bowl, and fold into the mocha batter, a dollop or two first to liquefy the thick batter, and then in thirds.
6. Divide the batter between two cake pans and place each pan on a baking sheet. Bake on two racks for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans and exchanging the pans between racks halfway through. The cake is done when the tops become golden brown and the cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
7. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully turn over on the wire rack, right side up. Cool completely before icing.
8. For the Buttercream: Whisk sugar and egg whites for 3 to 5 minutes in a medium heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (water should not touch the bottom of the bowl), until meringue is hot to the touch. The sugar granules will be dissolved and you will be left with a fluffy marshmallow cream-like froth.
9. Remove bowl from heat and beat for 5 minutes with a hand mixer set to medium speed, or pour into a bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment to mix.
10. Add half of the butter and beat with a hand mixer (or paddle attachment for stand mixer) until smooth before adding the next half to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and give it a quick stir. Beat again on medium-high for another 6 to 10 minutes to thicken.
11. Dissolve cocoa and espresso/coffee granules in water, vanilla extract, and amaretto in a small bowl. Pour into the buttercream and beat for 2 minutes, scraping the sides at least once.
12. To Assemble the Cake: Dot 3 3”-wide parchment paper strips with buttercream. Use the icing to stick the 3 strips into a triangle on a plate or cake stand. Dot the center bottom of the cake with icing, and place cake on top of the strips. These will keep your plate clean while frosting the cake.
13. Spoon about ½ cup of frosting on top and spread it evenly with a flat metal spatula. Place the second layer of cake and spread a thin layer of icing over the entire cake and let it stand for 15 minutes. Spread a thicker layer of frosting over the side, working from the bottom up to the top. Frost the top by placing a mound of icing and spreading it to the side. You can decorate the cake with the remaining frosting as you wish.
1. To decorate: You can use a cake comb to create ridges on the side of the cake. The traditional Goldilocks mocha roll and cake are decorated using a cake comb. I added finely grated chocolate at the top.
2. To make a mocha roll: From Step 6 onwards — Pour batter into a 10.5”x15.5”x1” jelly roll pan (sprayed with cooking spray and lined with a sheet of wax paper, and another coat of cooking spray) and bake for 12 to 15 minutes with the rack on upper middle position, rotating the pan halfway through. What I usually do is bake for 6 minutes and rotate and add minutes as needed to let it bake thoroughly. It is done when the top is golden brown and cake tester will come out clean. Lay flat a dry kitchen/tea towel that’s slightly larger than the pan and dust with a thin layer of powdered sugar. Remove cake from the oven and turn pan over onto the towel. Carefully peel the wax paper and scooping the towel from underneath, slowly roll the towel and cake together. Cool on a wire rack with the seam side down. After about an hour, unroll and remove the towel, spread a generous layer of mocha buttercream. Depending on your preference, you can put as much as half on it. Re-roll the cake and frost the outside and sides. OR you can use the other half of the icing to fill another roll. [Instructions to make the butter cream is the same.]
Joy, I am in love with this cake!! I only wish I could go somewhere and buy a slice right now.
Thanks, Alice! I wish I could share a slice with you. Yum, yum!
Hi Joy,
Thanks again for this wonderful recipe. I made this cake twice, first one, 2 layers and the second, a mocha roll cake. The mocha roll was a bit of a challenge but will definitely try again soon!
mocha is always a joy! and joy makes a mocha! mwah
Haha…thanks, Sarah!
wow that is a beautiful cake, joy! i love mocha anything!
Me, too. I drink mocha coffee with mocha cake. ;-)
Joy this is gorgeous and must be the most perfect cake! Coffee? Mocha? I am in love! And you have made the most beautiful cake ever!
Thanks, doll! And to think I used to fear cakes like the plague. :)
Just studied the recipe and this may be my next birthday cake!
When is your birthday? I might have to bake this again (not that there aren’t tons of requests already) to celebrate with you. :)
And yumm for Lemon Chicken Pasta!
My god, I miss Goldilocks where I live now. What about their ube cake? How much ube (powdered, grated?) should I add to this to try to get that delicious purple confection into my stomach?
Hi Alex. I haven’t tried making ube cake so I don’t really know what form and what proportions you need. The base recipe for the cake and icing (remove the coffee/cocoa flavors) would be great to start with if you want to experiment. Ube cake is still in my to-do list. Hopefully I’ll make it sooner than later, if I could find fresh ube around here.
Wow….this looks totally and incredibly delicious!!
Thanks, Heather!
Joy, this looks so good! I love what goes inside the cream. Saving the recipe for my next cake-craving fit:) Thanks!
Thanks Farida! If you love mocha, this will definitely fulfill your cake craving. :)
Oh my, that looks beautiful and soft! What a magnificent cake and decadent-looking recipe!
I do have a question about the buttercream. It seems that the recipe will make a lot! Did you have much left over? How much would you recommend scaling back?
HI Amanda, if you use the icing to pipe the cake on the sides and the corner of the top, you won’t have left overs. You can halve the recipe if you will only make the roll and just need icing inside the roll. For the cake, half the recipe will only suffice if you frost the cake conservatively. I’d rather have extra icing than be left lacking. For the cake above, since I didn’t put it too thick and no piped icing, I had an extra 3/4 cup or so that I was able to use for a roll for about a 2-3mm thick layer inside.
Thanks for a nice recipe!
Welcome!
thanks! gagamitin ko yan sa bakery for Christmas.
Welcome, Tita! Sige, I’ll try to come up with the recipe using almond extract, instead of the liquor, so it will be more economical. I’ll update you when I find the right combo.
Fantastic! I can’t wait to give this a try. Now if you have a copykat recipe of the Red Ribbon mango chiffon cake, that would be incredible!!
Hi Frances, unfortunately working on that recipe is not in the near future. I don’t think I’ve eaten it that much that I can remember that it tastes like! And we don’t have a Red Ribbon here in Vancouver for me to try, too. Sorry.
Joy, this Mocha cake is gorgeous, my mouth is watering! My best friend is Filipino & she told me about Goldilocks.
Hi,
I’ve been wanting to learn how to make mocha cake and I was excited to see your blog so I tried it this weekend. Unfortunately because I’m not much of a baker, it didn’t turn out at all. It looked like a flat bread that tasted like mocha. I didn’t even continue with the buttercream. Any suggestions? I would really love to try and make this again :)
Hi Tonette, did you whisk the eggs with cream of tartar until you achieved stiff peaks? And did you fold it into the batter? If you just stirred (or beat) it with the batter, then I’m thinking those would be the main reasons for the flat cake. If you are not sure how to “fold”, please check on YouTube for videos on how to fold into batter. I have some step by step photos for the cake, but I still have to edit and post them.
Hi Joy,
Yes I whisked the eggs like you said but I guess I didn’t do it right. I will check Youtube. Like I said, I’m not much of a baker so that could be another problem :) I would love to see your photos to. Can’t wait. Then I will try again. I’m going to keep trying until it turns out right. I live here in VA and there is no Goldilocks or Red Ribbon. They sell the mocha cakes at the filipino stores but they don’t taste as good as when you buy them at the actual Goldilocks stores. Who knows how old they are…I will let you know how it turns out. I will probably try again this weekend. Thanks again!
Practice makes perfect. I used to get so nervous when I have to bake a cake because I couldn’t seem to get it right. This is a sponge cake, and as such, needs a lot of air. The sifting, the whisking, and the folding all make a huge difference depending on if you do them right or wrong. Did you find the videos on how to whisk to stiff peaks and how to fold ingredients? I’m so behind on the photos due to other obligations. I really do hope you can make it since you’re not near a Goldilocks shop. :)
hi joy!! guess what, pancake house just bought goldilocks! :D i’m not sure how that’s going to affect goldilocks though.
Gosh…I hope that’s for the best. I wonder why Goldilocks decided to sell? Benta na lang nila recipes nila in a cookbook kasi. Haha.
Joy! I made this cake the other night using your recipe – I couldn’t believe how much it tasted like the real thing! I miss having a Goldilocks around (from Cali, now in Miami)!
Tricia, I’m SO HAPPY to hear that! I’m sure you must have been spoiled with all the Filipino food in Cali. At least, you can make the mocha cake in Miami. :) I’m still trying to get my lengua de gato right, which is something that I also miss.
Can I buy one from you? It looks really good.
Sure, if you’re in Vancouver and can pick it up. :p It’s worth trying to make it yourself, though! ;-)
Yes I am a Pinoy living in Vancouver. I’m really serious in buying one cake from you. Please email me if you’re ok with it. I can pick it up anywhere in Van. Can you also do Goldilocks ube cake? Christmas is coming so I thought of giving homemade cakes to my friends and relatives.
Hi joy! i bought 2 regular 9inch cake pan but i dont have any parchment paper. Do u think i dont need the parchment paper if i use the spring-form pan?
THank you SO MUCH for this recipe!
This cake is the BEST thing ive ever made C:
its just, the cream part..
I’m not sure what went wrong.. but the egg whites and the coffee & cocoa in water would not go together to form a cream like substance..
it was mostly separated and so it was hard to use
the taste was right on.. but it did not look very good >0<
I was wondering if maybe it was because of the alcohol?
i didnt put that in because well.. im only 15 years old
Could you please help me out? I'd REALLY like to make this again sometime!
thank you so much!!
Hi Angela, thanks so much for your comment! As for the icing, what do you use to beat them together? Try using a hand mixer on high speed. It takes a while for them to go together, but they will eventually. :) Forget about the alcohol, try adding half a teaspoon of almond extract next time. Good luck! Let me know how it turns out. Cheers.
Hi, what’s the difference between the 1 teaspoon vanilla from the cake ingredient and the vanilla extract used in the buttercream? Is the vanilla in the cake, powder? Thanks.
Hi Lorie, it’s the same. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Joy,
THANK you so very much for sharing your wonderful recipe. Although I haven’t tried it yet, my reason for writing is because we were given several Goldilocks “French Sponge Cake Mamon” over the holidays and were blown away by this cake. A quick Google search and I came across your recipe. Your recipe sounds as wonderful as we’re sure you are! ARegards and thanks again!
PS… is any chance we find a copy-cat Goldilocks French Sponge Cake recipe somewhere on-line?
HI Janie, you’re so welcome! The recipe for the cake for this one is the same as the mamon. Just remove the coffee granules and cocoa from the recipe and bake in cupcake pans or fluted brioche tins. The baking time would be less.
i just finished baking and frosted the mocha cake……..almost same with goldilocks..my son requested me to bake a mocha cake
Thanks for the feedback, Marivic. I hope your son enjoyed the cake!
Hi Joy, thanks for sharing the recipe! It was a big hit with the whole family! I baked the cake for my younger sister’s 21st because her favorite cake is the Goldilocks Mocha Cake. The rest of my family are a big fan of the said cake as well. They were so delighted when I brought it out and they all think it’s almost exactly the same! Well, almost because I had an accident with the almond essence and poured in a bit more than required. Teehee. Next time I make it, I’ll be more careful with the almond essence! Apart from that, they said that if they close their eyes, they think that it’s definitely the real thing. Praises like this from people who knows the flavor of the mocha cake too well means that this recipe is definitely a success and I’ll be baking more of it in the future.
Cheers to you Joy! I’ll be looking forward to more recipes you post. :) More power and God Bless!
Maria, I’m so happy to hear that! This is why I love to share the recipes, especially from back home. :) I bake this at least once a month because we all love it, too. I’m glad other people can enjoy it, too.
I love the goldilocks mocha cake. Can’t wait to try it! :-)
Can I susbstitutde cake flour with all-purpose high grade flour?
T
Hi MrsG, I haven’t tried substituting AP HG flour for cake flour. I would think that it won’t be as spongy.
hi there….i’m so happy to discover your blog. I love Goldilocks’ mocha cake but sadly it’s not available here in NZ.
I have a question on the ingredients. Can I substitute cake flour with high-grade all-purpose flour?
Thanks
Hi MrsG, I’ve never tried substituting it with AP flour. I checked online and the substitute for cake flour is 3/4 cup (105 grams) all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch. Mix and sift twice.
Hi Mrs G,
To make cake flour, I read in one of my mother-in-law’s cookbooks, mix 1/4 cup cornflour with 3/4 cups plain flour. Sift two or three times.
High grade all purpse flour is mostly used for bread making, fruit cakes and the like, not for spongy cakes.
I hope this info helps.
hi Joy
I’m excited to try this cake but i’m just wondering what is the butter-sugar paste stated in step 3?
3. Dissolve espresso or coffee granules and cocoa powder in water and vanilla in a small bowl, getting rid of lumps while stirring. Pour into the butter-sugar paste, along with canola oil, and beat until well combined.
I’m a little confused with this one. Hope you can enlighten me.
Thanks, Jill.
This looks promising! I might do this recipe this coming weekend. Have you tried using this recipe for cupcakes? :)
Leng, yes, very successfully. Just decrease the amount of baking time — I can’t remember how long, but I would start checking at 10-12 mins. Just fill the cups 3/4 full. Let me know how it goes!
Hi Joy!
I love your blog! I”m filipino and I have never made this cake myself, but after reading your post, I’m definitely gonna give it a try! Have you tried it yet with almond extract instead of the amaretto?
Hi joy!
Iv been searching for the best mocha cake until i found you!!! im so delighted looking at the photo this is the same as Goldolocks! I will definitely try this this week. But then have you tried substituting almond extract to amarreto? Is it ok? Because i went to the supermarket earlier and it comes in big bottles which costs about £10 when the recipe only calls for a few
tablespoon? Thanks again for sharing!!!
hi joy!!!i will definitely give it a try. just wondering any substitute for amaretto??it’s quite expensive here in uk.
You can use almond extract/flavoring. Just add it by drops and check for the taste.
Hi Joy, I really want to try this can I substitute amaretto flavor or extract instead of the liquer.
Thanks
You can try amaretto flavor or even almond extract. Just put a few drops at a time and taste it. I don’t know the exact proportions if you use the extract.
After the last time I visited your site I tried these several times and every time it went very well, well got good feedback from those who ate it. They always say it reminded them of goldilocks. I made some few alteration after trying your original, I say I like the icing better if I use 2 sticks butter an half stick Crisco. It was hard for me to decorate the icing so I put caramel brittle, here is a photo of it…
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10150253398131320&set=a.203591061319.160873.680626319&type=1&theater
Thanks so much for sharing, I ended up using the amaretto liquer to make it perfect just like your.
More power.
Hi joy!
It doest matter answering my question i bought amarreto and really it has a big contribution on yhe taste of the icing. I made this for a church potlock and it was a big hit! Really it tastes like the real Goldilocks! Ang galing galing mo. At first i thought it was a disaster because my frosting curdled! I googled how yo troubleshoot a curdled frosting and like magic it yurned out to be the delicious mocha icing. The reason for curdling is that the icing is not warm enough so i put the mixing bowl in another bowl with hot water! Indeed it was so effective. Now i have a problem again! I was flooded with requests to bake more. :)). How can i make this mixture double? To make a bigger cake? Double or triple the ingredients? Please help. Thanks so much!!
That’s great to hear! The curdling happens only at the beginning of the mixing, but you just have to continue mixing and it will all come out fluffy! You can easily double the recipe — both for the cake and the icing. I’ve done all these in 3 batches at once and they all worked out perfectly. The thing about the cake, though, is that you have to know how to estimate the proportion that goes to the baking pans you’re going to use, so it helps if you’ve baked it single batch to see how to divide the batter.
Hi Joy! I was looking for a mocha cake recipe for my kumare’s birthday at the end of the month and I came across your website. My cake turned out well however its the frosting that became my nightmare! As soon as I started mixing in the coffee, the mixture started splitting. I ended up with coffee at the bottom of the bowl with clumps of fat on the top. I tried it again with a cooled coffee thinking it was the temperature that caused it to split but the same thing happened. What do you think happened here?
Al, you just have to continue mixing. The liquid and the butter will combine in a airy fluff after a few minutes.
Thanks Joy! I’ll do what you suggested and I’ll let you you how I get on. Apart from that disaster, the taste was totally awesome!
Many thanks again!
You’re welcome! Your best tool for this job is a hand mixer, btw. :-)
Hi..thanks a lot for this recipe..i just tried this yesterday and turned out perfect ala Goldilocks tlga…but i didnt use amaretto on the buttercream bcoz i dnt know if its available here in japland so i skipped…i really love this recipe…
Tried the recipe again last night for simple dinner with friends…cake like before, turned out well and the frosting was fantastic! Does take a bit of time to get the consistency for spreading but it did get there. I’ve got a lovely cake now for my Kumare’s birthday, thanks Joy!
Hi, I have a question regarding the sugar in buttercream, is it granulated or powdered? Thanks so much for sharing your recipes.
Hi! Thanks for sharing the recipe! I can’t wait to try it! I just have 1 question on the ingredients. Is it right, only 1 tsp. water in the batter? I thought maybe it meant 1 cup. Thanks again. Can’t wait to hear from you so I can start making it.
Hi! Thanks for sharing the recipe! I just wanted to clarify one of the ingredients…. only 1 tsp. water on the cake batter? I just wanted to double check it’s not a typo. Hope to hear from you soon, I can’t wait to try it!
Just want to asked if this really sure that u used only 1cup of flour?
Yes, just 1 cup of CAKE flour. It’s a sponge cake so the whipped egg whites will provide some of the “meat” of the cake.
Recipe is missing salt – made half the recipe so I used 1/4 teaspoon salt. Liked the texture and next time will add more coffee, couldn’t really taste it, and a tad more sugar. Congrats on a good recipe!
I can’t wait to try making it.
Instead of a round cake, does the recipe cover a 10″ square pan? If so, how long would you bake it in the oven?
Hi Aimee, I haven’t tried it with a square pan, so I really can’t advise on that at the moment.
Can I use the same recipe for cupcake form? Is there anything different I need to do?
Yes, you can use it for cupcakes, but the baking time would be less. I’m not sure of the exact time, though, so you will have to experiment.
it it ok w/o amaretto?will it make any difference on its taste?
Hi! i LOVE your recipe!!! thanks so much! I was just wondering if it was possible to bake the cake so that when it comes out, the top is flat. Or do i have to cut the top off to make it flat after it comes out? >U< Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for sharing a simple, nice and delish recipe. I’m a professional baker and cake decorated in search of a good old fashioned Filipino style Mocha Cake. And was lucky enough to find your blog. I’m visiting Manila ( originally from Cali) with my son Jake and was asked to teach some baking tricks to my husband’s nephew, Lucky me that I found your recipe and the cake became an instant hit to the family. It taste exactly like Goldilocks and Joni’s Cakes,even better cause it’s homemade and not mass produced. I wished I could post the pictures here….thanks again for sharing!
That’s great! Email me the photos at gourmeted /at/ gmail /dot/ come so I can see — would love to share what others are doing with the recipe. :) Thanks for stopping by, hun.
Hi Joy,
Ive always loved Moccha cake! What a blessing I found your site with the perfect moccha cake recipe. It was a lot of work to be honest, but it was well worth it! Everyone loved it! The buttercream was also perfect! Only one question I have to ask, can I use a sheet cake
to bake this? If so, what size is the best for this recipe? The round cake was not enough in our household!
Thanks for sharing!
You`re such a nice person of sharing with us this fantastic mocha cake recipe. You made a lot of people happy for doing such. I can`t waiy making it this friday for my hubby`s birthday. We’re both a big mocha cake fan. I`ll let you know about the result after the big excitibg day. Thanks again.
I just baked this today. I may have left it in the oven a minute or two too long as it appears to be dry. I was wondering if you ever tried adding a simple syrup (plus coffee flavor) to the layers to moisten them before applying frosting.
My friend baked this cake and OMG it was so yummy! Thanks! Even her 5 year old nephew said “you are the best cake maker aunt!” We all love it! More power!
Yay! I’m thrilled a lot of people are enjoying this recipe. Ha…easy on the alcohol on the icing with the 5yo…:D