Coffee Cake!
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A delicious and moist three-layer coffee cake with a light and fluffy coffee buttercream frosting – perfect for coffee lovers!
The other week I posted a standard ‘recipe request’ post on my Facebook page and got an insane amount of ‘COFFEE CAKE PLEEEEAAASSEE’ kind of posts – so, I was obviously going to oblige.
Now, if you know me then you know how much I adore an iced coffee so I obviously love a coffee based bake – and when it’s baked it’s even more delicious! You can use decaf coffee if you have it, as long as its still a strong flavour!
Coffee bakes
I would say that coffee cake is a classic and quite iconic, and I really don’t make enough coffee based content. I love it personally, and I know so many of you do as well. My coffee and walnut cupcakes have always proved so popular, along with a more recent coffee & walnut loaf cake.
I created an espresso martini cake in my second book Celebrate, and my third book Everyday features my homemade tiramisu and with how popular these were I know I needed to post a classic coffee cake, so here it is.
Cake sponges
These sponges are light and fluffy, and yes there are three decent layers. I know, 8 eggs is a lot, but it is how you make a basic sponge. You need to create an even quantity of eggs weighed in their shells, flour, eggs and sugar to create a sponge so for a three layer cake, you need a lot of ingredients.
- Butter – I use either a room temperature block butter or baking spread for a cake sponge
- Sugar – I use light brown sugar in my coffee cake as I think it helps the flavour profiles
- Flour – self raising flour as always. However, if you don’t have it, you can make your own with 2 level tsps per 150g of plain flour, mixed in before using and removing any other raising agent in the recipe.
- Eggs – 7-8 medium eggs, but weigh in the shells and try and get as close to 400g as possible and match the butter, sugar and flour to this weight
- Coffee – Instant coffee here for me, but a strong espresso works
- Baking powder – this is optional, but I think it helps. Make sure measuring you level the tsp, not heaped.
Cake frosting
This frosting is a basic American buttercream frosting that has had coffee added into it. A frosting like this is so super simple to make and that’s why I love it.
- Butter – unsalted block butter, NOT baking spread
- Sugar – icing sugar, every time
- Coffee – same as above, I use instant coffee that I have dissolved, by 2 strong espresso shots should work fine
Recipe Updated March 2024
Every now and again I will update blog posts as they are a few years old, my knowledge has developed, or I thought it required a change. However, I will always keep the original recipe on the post and that’s here.
- Cake – 400g butter, 400g caster sugar, 8 medium eggs, 400g self raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 4tsp dissolved coffee
- Bake at 150ºc fan into two tins for 45-55 minutes
- Frosting – 225g unsalted butter, 500g icing sugar, 3tsp dissolved coffee
- Beat the butter, add the sugar and coffee and pipe onto the cake
Tips & Tricks
- This cake will last in a container for 3+ days at room temperature, or you can freeze for up to 3 months!
- I used this Medium 2D Closed Star Piping Tip
- I used this large piping bag
- I used this 8″ Cake Tins
- Recipe updated March 2024 – original recipe on the blog post
Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Coffee Cake
- 400 g unsalted butter/baking spread
- 400 g caster sugar
- 8 medium eggs
- 400 g self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 tsp strong espresso/instant coffee
Coffee Buttercream Frosting
- 300 g unsalted butter
- 600 g icing sugar
- 3 tsp strong espresso/instant coffee
- sprinkles/coffee beans
Instructions
Coffee Cake
- Heat the oven to 180ºc/160ºc fan and line three 20cm/8inch cake tins with baking parchment, leave to the side.
- Dissolve the 4tsp strong espresso/instant coffee in 1tbsp of boiling water and leave to the side to cool fully.
- Beat together the unsalted butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the self raising flour, eggs and baking powder and beat again briefly until combined - try not to overbeat!
- Fold through the cooled dissolved coffee in to the cake mix so it's evenly distributed.
- Divide the mixture equally between the tins and smooth it over.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean
- Once baked, leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, and then remove and leave to cool fully on a wire rack.
Coffee Buttercream Frosting
- Dissolve the 3tsp strong espresso/instant coffee in 1tbsp of boiling water carefully, and leave to cool fully.
- Beat the unsalted butter on it's own until smooth
- Add the icing sugar and mix
- Add the coffee and mix again until light and fluffy
- With the first layer of the cake, spread/pipe half of the buttercream onto the top of the first layer, then add the second cake on top, and repeat again
- Sprinkle over some pretty sprinkles and or chocolate coated coffee beans and enjoy!
Notes
- This cake will last in a container for 3+ days at room temperature, or you can freeze for up to 3 months!
- I used this Medium 2D Closed Star Piping Tip
- I used this large piping bag
- I used this 8" Cake Tins
- Recipe updated March 2024 - original recipe on the blog post
ENJOY!
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J x
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Lovely cake! What would be the amount of ingredients for a 2 layer cake instead of 3 please?
Thank you! Use two thirds x
Hey! Love the recipes. Would it work to sub some of the flour for cocoa powder to make into a more mocha inspired cake, if not is there a way to be able to create a mocha cake please? Thanks x
Sounds yummy but I would like to make a 9 inch cake.
What should the recipe be increased to please?
Hi Jane, I’m planning on splitting this mix into 3 tins and adding the walnuts, how long would I bake them for?
Thanks 🙂
Could this be made into a mocha cake? If so how please
My cakes always turn out dense/stodgy how long am I to mix each ingredients from butter and sugar to flour thanks
Hiya! This usually means it is under baked. Hope this helps! x
Can I use a cream cheese coffee filling in place of buttercream
Absolutely, sounds yummy! x
hi Jane can I make this coffee and walnut cake eggless..if so then what can I replace with eggs ..pls can you reply
Looks and sounds lovely will have to make this cake Like how you said would last for three days, definitely won’t at my house
Hi, this is the first time I have put eggs and flour all in together and not doing slowly eggs and then fold in flour. Once I slowly added the coffee it curdled. I didn’t think thE coffee was that hot but do you think that was still the problem,?
Hiya! Yes is could be – or it may have been slightly overtaxed. Hope this helps! x
Can I please ask Jane, why do you have baking powder with Self Raising flour in this recipe?
Hiya! Sometimes raising agents are added to give a lighter texture – however you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to! Hope this helps! x
Hi!
I wanted to make this as a loaf cake, how many eggs would you use? And if you wanted to add walnuts? X
Could I use Stork in the sponge and Unsalted Butter in the buttercream? X
Yes absolutely you can! Enjoy! x
Hello, to make this gluten free do I just swap the flour for gluten free flour? Do I need to add anything else to make it work? Or just straight swap?
Thanks!
Hiya! I personally have not tried this – but it should be fine! Let me know! x
Hi, you will also need to add 1/2 tsp of xanthum gum
Hi Jane. I have made this cake before and it was amazing – thank you. I was wondering if it could be made into a tray bake and if so, what proportion of mix would work? 5 eggs maybe? Thank you.
I would like to know this also?