Holiday Desserts: Vincent Price’s Chocolate Mocha Cake

Looking for scrumptious and delectable chocolate desserts this holiday season? Try this dark, delicious and decadent dessert.

Holidays are a fun time to try interesting and yes, decadent desserts. Living in COVID, many of us are rediscovering baking and cooking. We have taken cooking classes online from amazing bakers like Susan Holding at The Little French Bakery and learned the art of cocktail making from Master Class. Holidays are a time for traditions. Aunt Betsy’s Lady Baltimore cake. My Dad’s prime rib or crown rib pork roast. My sister’s yummy hot crab dip. My Mom’s German stollen.

This recipe is a classic cookbook that every traditional American cook should have — A Treasury of Great Recipes from classic horror film actor and director, Vincent Price. Just like us, they enjoyed entertaining friends and having dinner parties. Dinner parties in the 70’s were amazing! My Dad made this mocha chocolate cake a lot growing up. It is dark and delicious and the mocha buttercream is to die for. (Pardon the pun, Mr. Price!) You can alternate instant coffee with strong brewed espresso and add enough sugar to compensate for it in your buttercream frosting. Experiment if you don’t like or cannot find instant coffee.

A favorite memory that accompanies this recipe is when our dog, Licorice, literally ate 3/4 of the chocolate mocha cake from the sideboard one Saturday. My Dad had worked so hard on this cake, only to have our big black lab eat most of it. Thankfully, she did not get sick, but unfortunately, we didn’t get to enjoy any of its rich deliciousness that day. Try this for a holiday dinner- even if it is just you and your immediate family for a quieter COVID holiday dinner. Make it extra special with this extra special dessert.