Getting Ready for My Valentine.
Over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting some chocolate desserts for you to serve to your valentine, whether itās for your spouse, partner, child, anyone you loveā¦ or simply for yourself. Iām starting today with a Mexican Chocolate Cake.
What makes it Mexican? Not the recipe, but the chocolate; I used tablets of traditional Mexican chocolate (thanks to our friends G&M) as the base for the cake. Many recipes for Mexican chocolate desserts contain chile powder. The combination of chile and chocolate goes back to the Aztecs and Mayans, but I am leaving chile out of this recipe. I want the cinnamon to shine in this cake.
It is a breeze to make ā one bowl! ā and itās a good recipe to keep in your back pocket for when guests are coming who cannot tolerate gluten. Decorating it can be fun, too, as I show here; there will be a couple of extra forks and spoons to wash, but they make a fun stencil pattern!
~ David
Mexican Chocolate Cake
Arrange a rack in the bottom of the oven and another one in the middle. Fill a baking pan with water and place on the bottom rack. Heat oven to 350Ā°F and let water heat as oven heats.
Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper.
Combine chocolate, butter, and granulated sugar in a metal bowl set over simmering water. Stir frequently until the chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth.
Remove the chocolate from the heat and whisk in the cinnamon, the vanilla and almond extracts, the eggs, cocoa powder, and a pinch salt. Pour batter into cake pan.
Place cake pan in the oven and bake until the edges are set and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 35 minutes.
Set cake on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes then invert onto a cake plate so that the bottom is now the top. Allow to cool completely then sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve. (Note: the cake will sink quite a bit once out of the tin: this is normal and adds nicely to the dense, rich texture.)
Served 8.
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Mad Dog
January 17, 2026 at 4:41 amThat looks beautiful and I bet it tastes good!
David Scott Allen
January 17, 2026 at 9:41 amThanks, Mad Dog — it really does taste fantastic.
mary boeshore
February 2, 2026 at 7:40 amWhere do you buy Mexican chocolate? Thank you
Cocoa & Lavender
February 2, 2026 at 8:31 amHi Mary, if you can let me know the general area where youāre located, I can help locate some Mexican chocolate for you. In the United States, itās often available in most grocery stores in the Hispanic/Latin American section. In some of our stores, itās simply called āinternational.ā
Barb
January 17, 2026 at 7:46 amQuick and simple to make, and just the right amount of cake for a small household. Clever stenciling!!
David Scott Allen
January 17, 2026 at 9:41 amThank you! I enjoy playing with different patterns on cakes. Yes, Barb, it is quick and simple. I have been checking and Mexican chocolate seems readily available nationwide now. Brands to look for are Ibarra and Abuelita. They are both very good.
angiesrecipes
January 17, 2026 at 8:10 amSo simple to make, yet so stunning! I love how you decorate the cake. you have some cute plates š
David Scott Allen
January 17, 2026 at 9:39 amThanks, Angie. The plate is from a wonderful restaurant just over the border in Sonora, MĆ©xico. It was the perfect size for this cake.
Frank | Memorie di Angelina
January 17, 2026 at 9:02 amThis sounds so good… nice and thick and rich and not too sweet, just the way I like chocolate cake. Or hot chocolate for that matter. And the stenciling is adorable. Now to find Mexican chocolate.. online I suppose.
David Scott Allen
January 17, 2026 at 9:38 amExactly. It is a nice finish to a meal, Frank. Glad you like the stenciling — a nice switch from a doily. By the way, I checked online and the Safeway in your area carries one of the two main brands of Mexican chocolate: Abuelita. No need to shop online. Whole Foods also carries the Taza brand, but I don’t like it as well. Also, their tablets are 2.6 ounces so you would need three.
Carolyne
January 17, 2026 at 9:24 amThat cake looks so delicious and easy! Iām off to find some Mexican chocolate š« š
David Scott Allen
January 17, 2026 at 9:36 amThanks, Carolyne. It should be pretty easy to find out there… brands to look for are: Ibarra and Abuelita. Rancho Gordo also makes it, as does Taza.
Jill
January 17, 2026 at 9:34 amYummy
David Scott Allen
January 17, 2026 at 9:35 amAnd easy!!
Melissa
January 17, 2026 at 9:45 amThis looks like a great way to use the Mexican chocolate sitting in my pantry. I think I’ll make it tonight…
David Scott Allen
January 17, 2026 at 9:47 amIt is definitely a good use of it! The older I get, the more I prefer cocoa over hot chocolate — I think of the latter as a special occasion treat, like when it snows in Tucson!
Mimi Rippee
January 17, 2026 at 11:20 amSo pretty! Iām surprised thereās only 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon in the cake.
David Scott Allen
January 17, 2026 at 1:14 pmThanks Mimi. Because there is already a strong cinnamon presence in the Mexican chocolate itself, too much cinnamon made it a bit bitter (as I learned in an earlier trial of the cake).
Karen (Back Road Journal)
January 17, 2026 at 1:52 pmI usually have a piece of Belgium chocolate after dinner. Now I need to branch out and try chocolate from a different country. This is my kind of dessert.
David Scott Allen
January 17, 2026 at 2:09 pmHave you had Mexican chocolate, Karen? It is mostly for drinking (melted into water or milk, thus the film Like Water for Chocolate). It is much sweeter than Belgian chocolate — which I also love, and have a little square each evening. But the cake is really quite rich, dark, and dense.
Eha Carr
January 17, 2026 at 1:57 pmLove the stenciling naturally and no doubt Mexican chocolate can be found online . . . great to look and learn . . . a warm hello from water-ridden and cool eastern Australia!
David Scott Allen
January 17, 2026 at 2:10 pmEha — I hadn’t read about your water-ridden (flooding?) woes. So sorry. Mexican chocolate is so different from almost any other chocolate in the world, though in texture it is very similar to the artisanal chocolate of Modica, Sicily.
sherry
January 17, 2026 at 8:51 pmyes a bit of stencilling is a fun thing to do on your cake! this sounds great David. A friend brought me back some Mexican chocolate a while back; a wee bit different with the cinnamon and chilli!
cheers
sherry
David Scott Allen
January 18, 2026 at 12:38 pmIt is a bit different — and it also has ground almonds in it. But different things is what makes the word of food so interesting!
FEL!X
January 17, 2026 at 9:29 pmCurious to try Mexican chocolate (as a die-hard Swiss!).
But: if I would order Ibarra Mexican Chocolate, 19 oz, the prize is over 60 USD plus postage … š¤
Anyway, the combination of chocolate and cinnamon is always delicious!
David Scott Allen
January 18, 2026 at 12:37 pmWell, it is definitely NOT worth $60! And it is definitely NOT as good as Swiss chocolate. Mexican chocolate is very different and is specifically created to melt into milk for hot chocolate. Maybe someday they will open a Latino market near you!
Raymund
January 20, 2026 at 4:43 amThat was such a sweet post. The little details you shared make it feel genuinely warm rather than overly staged. It has that cozy, realālife charm that makes Valentineās prep feel fun instead of stressful.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 24, 2026 at 8:03 amI think you hit the nailed on the head, Raymund. We all stress out so much to make something perfect for our Valentine and then we are exhausted and cannot enjoy it. Thanks for your comment.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
January 21, 2026 at 3:04 pmThis Mexican chocolate cake sounds wonderfully bold, David – I love the depth and warmth those aromatics bring to a classic chocolate cake.
David Scott Allen
January 22, 2026 at 1:52 pmThanks, Ben — is Mexican chocolate available up your way?
valentina
January 21, 2026 at 4:52 pmSo excited to try this, David! I’ll report back. Love the design you made – so pretty. š ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
January 22, 2026 at 1:51 pmThanks, Valentina — it’s kind of a goofy design, really, but it’s fun! You will love the cake!
valentina
January 28, 2026 at 2:38 pmI made this for my son’s birthday and it did not disappoint! Delicious. He loves Mexican chocolate, and as you know we have 2 gluten-free eaters in the family, so it couldn’t have been more perfect. Followed your recipe to exactly and it was easy and turned out fabulously! Thank you! ~Valentina
P.S. I prefer sans chile and highlighting the cinnamon.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 4:28 pmWell, Valentina, you have to know that this comment made my day! A compliment from you is a gift like none other. Iām so glad you and your family enjoyed the cake, and I agree ā this particular cake is much better without the chile powder. I did use it in the upcoming brownies, but mostly use just the cinnamon.
CC
January 26, 2026 at 6:22 pmYou’ve got a fan, here, David! Any dark chocolate dessert or cake gets a thumbs up from me. Wish I had a slice in front of me right now!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 5:12 pmIt is a very rich and dark cake, even though Mexican chocolate isnāt actually dark chocolate!
Inger
January 26, 2026 at 6:42 pmThis looks so good. I haven’t had sugar for a few weeks trying to get my blood sugar better. You “cutlery stencils” are produced a great design–and gave me a good laugh!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 4:31 pmDoesnāt it make you wonder about all the different things in your kitchen that could be used as stencils, Inger? Itās really quite amazing!
Linda
January 29, 2026 at 11:08 amThis looks amazing š Thank you for sharing, and warm greetings from Montreal, Canada ā¤ļø š šØš¦
David Scott Allen
January 29, 2026 at 11:35 amThanks, Linda — I am so glad you like it! Thanks for your warm greetings — I hope you know how much I apprecaite them. Wish I was there, too! (My Nana was from QuĆ©bec.)
2pots2cook
February 9, 2026 at 4:47 amSo beautiful GF version. I would rather use chilli instead of cinnamon, I guess it’s up to our taste, right?
Cocoa & Lavender
February 9, 2026 at 9:12 amThat is the fun of recipes — we can always make them our own!