Recipe for a coffee flavoured coffee cake spiked with both brewed and instant coffee
In case you are wondering if there is a mistake in the title, I just want to clarify that the caffeine overload is very much intentional 🙂
I realised pretty late in life that a coffee cake doesn’t necessary have coffee in it. Just like how tea cakes never have tea in them. (But this has never stopped me from adding all kinds of beautiful teas to cake batter – from fruit based infusions to earl grey). Jokes aside, coffee cake is a term for a simple cake that is usually had along with coffee (or tea for that matter). Coffee cakes usually have a streusel topping or a simple glaze, but never any elaborate frosting, which would push them more into the dessert category.
I am a sucker for tea and coffee cakes and coffee flavoured coffee cakes. I love the idea of tipping a couple of shots of strong brewed coffee into the cake batter. Not only does it give the cake an amazing coffeelicious flavour, but also makes the perfect accompaniment to your favourite cuppa. To make this into a special dessert, I douse the cake in some coffee liquor (even Kahlua or Bailey’s will work perfectly here), and serve it with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. And share the plate!
Walnuts and coffee make the best flavour pair, so instead of the proper streusel topping, I love studding my cake with chopped walnuts and granulated sugar for the crunch and delicious walnut flavour in every bite.
What’s special about my recipe?
Almost every single coffee cake recipe I skimmed through asked for that legendary-Paula-Dean-style 1 cup butter or more. Mine is a lightened up coffee flavoured coffee cake. The only thing it’s heavy on is the hit of caffeine, so you don’t have to feel guilty about cutting up a slice with your mid morning cuppa and indulging in some soul soothing hygge. My recipe for coffee flavoured coffee cake yields a mildly sweet cake. If you want it sweeter, increase the sugar to 1 cup.
Do you love teacakes as much as I do?
Then you’ll love this Dutch apple cake I had in Amsterdam and tried out in my kitchen. Or try these Healthy Pumpkin Coconut Squares, an easy bake.
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I brewed coffee for this cake in my trusty Russell Hobbs Coffee Maker, which I have been using for the last 3 years now.
Instant coffee used in this cake, and also for those early morning cups of black coffee the husband downs before going on his long runs
Round Baking Tins – This springform baking tin is very convenient for newbie bakers
Coffee Flavoured Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 6-7 inch round cake tin and keep aside.
- In a large bowl, sift all the dry ingredients - flours, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and instant coffee.
- Whisk all the wet ingredients (egg, whole milk, melted butter, vanilla, brewed coffee) along with the 3/4 cup castor sugar until you get a smooth and fluffy mixture.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients. Pour in the whisked wet mix and mix gently to combine well until no big lumps of flour remain.
- Scrape out the batter into the prepared baking tin. Sprinkle the walnut pieces and sugar uniformly over the top and bake for 40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
- Cool in the tin for 15 minutes. Loosen the cake in the tin by running a knife around the circumference of the cake, turn over into a dish. Cool for another 30 minutes on a wire rack. Slice into wedges. Serve with coffee or tea.
Notes
Also check this Chocolate Mocha Coffee Cake with a Streusel topping from my friend, Neha at Whisk Affair
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Can we substitute egg in the recipe?? With what?? Thank you
I haven’t tried an eggless version so cannot promise if this will work – but you can try the usual substitute of 1tbsp flaxseed meal in 2-3 tbsp boiling hot water .
Hi Nandita
The cake looks super yuumy…. Can we make an eggless version too?
I liked your healthy recipe ideas. I will try some of them and will let you know.
Hi! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I have two questions: 1) What’s the batter consistency? I’m thinking of increasing the proportion of WWF, so will add more milk and coffee syrup accordingly.
2) Can you please explain how you make your strongly-brewed coffee?
Batter consistency is difficult to explain, it’s like any other teacake consistency, dropping from a spoon, not too thick and not too thin.
For strongly brewed coffee add more coffee ground and less water
Finally a coffee cake with actual coffee in it! Thank you! Tried this recipe yesterday and it came out great. Did not have any walnuts at home, substituted with pecans. Simple and delicious.
So glad you liked it 🙂 I always feel cheated when ppl say ‘coffee cake’ and there’s no coffee in it 🙂
What about the egless version of it??? I came down to the comments section looking for it!! Can u pls tell us how to substitute egg in this cake???
I haven’t tried an eggless version so cannot promise if this will work – but you can try the usual substitute of 1tbsp flaxseed meal in 2-3 tbsp boiling hot water .