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Easy Coffee Cake – A delicious all-in-one coffee sponge topped with smooth coffee buttercream. Simple to make and packed full of flavour.
PLUS – How to make this cake in any size of round, square or rectangular tin.
Last week I shared with you my recipe for Easy Chocolate Cake, and today I’m back with another simple, classic cake recipe – Coffee Cake topped with Coffee Buttercream.
Two big cake recipes in a row?
Yes. I realised that I have so many more cupcakes on here than full-sized layer cakes. The reason for this is that I almost always test new cake recipes as cupcakes, as it’s easy to make small batches making lots of little tweaks until the recipe is just perfect. As soon as the recipe is just right, I’ll share it on here and move onto the next one.
I decided it was about time that some of those cupcakes were transformed into big cakes, so I’m on a mission to supersize them all for you.
One of the reasons I love this coffee cake recipe is that both the sponge and the buttercream are absolutely jam-packed with coffee flavour.
Coffee is one of my absolute favourite cake flavours, and I struggle to resist buying a slice if I spot one in a coffee shop. However, sadly I’ve noticed that quite a few lack coffee flavour in the actual sponge, there’s the subtlest hint, but all the coffee flavour is in the icing. Not so with this cake, both the sponge and buttercream are packed full of flavour.
Can I use freshly brewed coffee rather than powder or granules?
No, the reason I use instant coffee powder or granules in this recipe is that it’s the easiest way to get an intense coffee flavour into both the sponge and buttercream. The amount of freshly brewed coffee needed would mean adding too much liquid to the mixture.
You also cannot substitute the coffee powder/granules for ground coffee beans. Making this substitution wouldn’t give the same flavour (as they need brewing to bring out the flavour) as the coffee beans wouldn’t dissolve into the mixture, so you’d end up with bitty cake and buttercream.
I only have coffee granules, how do I grind them into a powder?
I always use granules rather than powder and I simply give mine a quick blitz in my spice grinder. You can also grind them in a pestle and mortar.
Can I use decaf coffee?
Absolutely. We mostly drink decaf coffee at home and so that’s what I usually use for my cakes. The results of using regular instant coffee and decaf are the same.
Can I use self-raising flour instead of plain?
Absolutely. Instead of the 200g of plain flour and 2½ tsp of baking powder listed in the recipe, use 210g of self-raising flour.
Other recipe inspiration for coffee lovers
If you’re like me and love coffee flavoured treats then take a look at some of my other coffee-filled recipes:
- Caramel Macchiato Cupcakes – coffee cupcakes topped with whipped cream and a hidden caramel centre
- Coffee & Walnut Cake
- Cappuccino Truffles
- Coffee Cupcakes
What’s the best way to store my coffee cake?
This coffee cake can be stored in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Preferably it should be stored in the fridge (but allow it to come up to room temperature before eating as it’ll have a better flavour and the buttercream will soften), but it’ll be fine at room temperature providing the room isn’t too warm.
This cake is suitable for freezing, either just the coffee sponge or the buttercreamed cake. To freeze the coffee sponge cake, wait for it to cool and then wrap the cake in clingfilm or store it in an airtight container before freezing. Defrost it thoroughly before decorating.
The buttercreamed cake can also be frozen in the same way. If you’ve piped the cake beautifully and you’re worried about squashing it when you wrap it in buttercream simply freeze the cake uncovered on a dish for an hour to firm up the buttercream. Then wrap it in clingfilm. As the buttercream is already solid, it won’t get squashed. When you want to defrost the cake, remove it from the freezer and remove the clingfilm (so it doesn’t stick to the buttercream as it thaws).
I would not recommend freezing just the buttercream to use later as the consistency becomes a little too fudgy. This means it’s delicious on the cake but tricky to spread or pipe.
What are the coffee cake ingredients for a different size of tin?
As for my easy chocolate cake, I wanted to make it simple for you to make this cake in a different size or shape (either round, square or rectangular) so you can get it to fit in a tin you already have at home or feed as many or few people as you need.
The main recipe below is for a two-layer 20cm round cake (this serves 12 people). However, this recipe is easily adapted to use other sizes of tins.
To find the ingredients needed to make this cake in a different size, simply add the dimensions of your tin and the number of layers into the boxes below and hit “Calculate”.
Round Cake
Cake Diameter (cm)
Number of Layers
Cake Ingredients
0 g plain flour
0 tsp baking powder
0 tsp coffee powder/granules
0 medium egg(s)
0 g soft margarine or butter
0 g soft light brown sugar
0 tsp milk
0 tsp salt
Buttercream Ingredients
0 g butter
0 g icing sugar
0 tsp vanilla extract
0 tsp instant coffee powder/granules
0 tsp boiling water
Square or rectangular cake
Cake Size (cm)
x
Number of layers
Cake Ingredients
0 g plain flour
0 tsp baking powder
0 tsp coffee powder/granules
0 medium egg(s)
0 g soft margarine or butter
0 g soft light brown sugar
0 tsp milk
0 tsp salt
Buttercream Ingredients
0 g butter
0 g icing sugar
0 tsp vanilla extract
0 tsp instant coffee powder/granules
0 tsp boiling water
FREE GRAMS TO CUPS CONVERSION CHARTS
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Easy Coffee Cake
INGREDIENTS
For the coffee sponge
- 3 tbsp instant coffee powder - or coffee granules ground to a powder
- 200 g plain flour
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- 220 g soft light brown sugar
- 220 g margarine or butter - butter must be soft at room temperature
- 4 medium eggs
- 2 tsp milk
- ⅛ tsp salt
For the coffee buttercream
- 200 g butter - soft at room temperature
- 400 g icing sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 8 tsp instant coffee powder or granules
- 4 tsp boiling water
- A little milk
This recipe is for 2x 20cm round sandwich tins. To find the ingredients for a different size of tin please use the calculator above the recipe.
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the coffee sponge
- Pre-heat your oven to 160ºC/140ºC fan.
Line two 20cm round sandwich tins with greaseproof paper or re-usable baking tin liners (I use these tins and these liners). - Put all of the cake ingredients into a large bowl (3 tbsp coffee powder, 200g plain flour, 2½ tsp baking powder, 220g soft light brown sugar, 220g margarine or butter, 4 medium eggs, 2 tsp milk, ⅛ tsp salt). Beat with an electric mixer or by hand on a low speed until all of the ingredients are combined.
- Split the mixture between the two prepared tins. Then bake for 30-35 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Once the cakes are cooked, remove them from the oven. Leave them to cool in their tins for about 10 minutes before removing them from the tins and moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the coffee buttercream
- While the cakes are cooling make the coffee buttercream. Start by mixing together the instant coffee powder/granules (8 tsp) with the boiling water (4 tsp). Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl beat the butter (200g) and vanilla extract (¼ tsp) on a low speed until soft. Add the icing sugar (400g) and beat on a low speed until combined with the butter and smooth. Gradually add the coffee mixture, 1 tsp at a time. After each addition beat the buttercream until the coffee has been fully combined before adding more.
- Check the consistency of your buttercream. It should be soft enough that you could spread it onto a slice of bread. If it is too firm, then add a little milk (no more than 1 tsp at a time) until it is your desired consistency.
Build the cake
- Place the bottom layer of your coffee sponge onto your serving dish. Spread about ⅓ of the coffee buttercream evenly across the sponge (I like to use a palette knife, but you could use a regular knife or the back of a spoon).
- Add the top layer of sponge. Again spread ⅓ of the coffee buttercream on top. Put the remaining buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle (I use a JEM1B nozzle). Pipe 12 blobs of buttercream evenly spaced around the edge of the cake. I give the piping bag a little wiggle as I squeeze so that the buttercream looks slightly ruffled.Of course, if you don't fancy piping, simply split the buttercream even between the middle and top of the cake.
- Serve
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
Free From/Suitable For
The ingredients I used to make this recipe are all free from the following allergens. However, please check any labels carefully for allergens you need to avoid as brands can vary, and product recipes can change over time.
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Tree Nut-Free
- Peanut-Free
- Sesame-Free
- Soya-Free
- Sulphur Dioxide & Sulphite-Free
- Lupin-Free
K says
Loved it! Dissolved the coffee granules in hot water before adding it though but we enjoyed it! Thank you
Shaghayegh Gharbi says
The buttercream was too sweet even though I used less sugar than what the recipe said. I had to throw away the frosting
Charlotte Oates says
I’m sorry to hear that. Sweetness in buttercream is very much down to personal taste. I use quite a standard ratio of sugar to butter in this, but it sounds like you’re after something a lot less sweet.
I’d suggest perhaps opting for a cream cheese based buttercream as these have a sharper, less-sweet flavour.
Jennie Scott says
Gorgeous cake, soft and moist and packed with coffee flavour. I made mine as a traybake and the calculator is excellent. Today I made the same cake but a chocolate version swapping the coffee granules for a quarter cup of cocoa. It’s rich and delicious. Thanks for this great recipe
Derick. says
do you need an electric hand blender to make the buttercream?
Charlotte Oates says
It’s easier to make with an electric mixer, but you can make it by hand. It’ll just take a bit longer to beat the butter and sugar together.
Avril says
Absolutely simple to make and easy to follow instructions. Family loved it, but I couldn’t taste it as I am coeliac.How about a gluten free version?
Charlotte Oates says
You should be fine to switch the regular flour for a gluten-free version. I’ve not tried it, but I know others who have and have had good results.
Ian says
Hi – unless I missed it, the coffee granules are not blended with hot water or milk in this recipe so end up staying as granules in the cake which makes it taste bitter.
Surely you need to dissolve the granules first?
Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
Did you add the coffee granules to the cake mixture without grinding them to a powder? The ingredients list states either coffee powder or granules ground to a powder. If they are added without grinding then you would get the bitter taste you describe as the coffee isn’t evenly distributed through the cake.
Ash says
Hi! Can I pour the whole batter into 1 tin and bake at once then cut it into layers? How should I adjust the time and temperature then?
Charlotte Oates says
You can, but it’s not something I recommend. Some people get good results baking this in one deep tin. However others have found it hasn’t baked evenly and had dipped in the middle after baking. If you decide to try it, it will need to be baked for c. 50 minutes.
Rachel says
Hi! Can is it ok to use soya instead of milk?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, that’s fine.
Charlotte says
Can I swap light brown sugar for caster sugar?
Charlotte Oates says
You can, it will have a slightly different flavour but it’ll still work well.
jo says
This is the first sponge cake to EVER fail on me. It did not rise and sunk even more when I took out of oven! I’ll be reverting back to my usual coffee cake recipe in future. Tonight we are eating this with custard as it resembles a treacle sponge in appearance and texture. Waste not want not here and it still tastes nice!
Vivi says
What a terrific cake! Just what I was looking for – a light but still moist cake with a caramelly coffee flavour and luscious buttercream. My husband ate half the cake in one sitting, lol. Thanks for sharing the recipe, and as an aside, this was also the best layout on a blog page I’ve seen. The conversion calculators, additional information, and, my favourite, the way you included the ingredients in the “Instructions” section made the whole baking process a dream. Officially a fan
Emma says
Would it be possible to sub some flour for cocoa powder to make it a mocha cake? If so, how much would you recommend? 🙂
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve not tried it so can’t comment on the flavour, but it will definitely work. If I were to give it a go, I’d switch about 30g of the flour for cocoa powder. Alternatively you could keep the flour as is and add 100g of melted (and cooled) dark or milk chocolate to the cake mixture instead.
Sharon Gibson says
Easy to make & delicious!
Alex says
easy and quick recipe that yields a robust coffee taste (Like a caramel latte with an extra shot). Thank you!
Fiona says
Delicious every time. My go-to favourite coffee cake recipe!
Trupti Parekh says
Hw to mk it eggless. Pls gv me instructions
Charlotte Oates says
Unfortunately replacing the eggs in cake and getting the same results isn’t that easy (several other ingredients also need to be adjusted to get the right texture).
Instead of adapting this cake to be eggless, I would recommend adapting my vegan vanilla cake to have coffee flavour. It’s not something I’ve tried so I can’t be certain of the results, but if I were to try it I substitute 10g of the flour for 10g of instant coffee powder.
Lisa says
Made this for my dad’s birthday as he loves coffee cake and it turned out perfectly My dad loved it as did everyone else. Will definitely use this recipe again.
Al says
This is so great. Love the fact that the sponge actually tastes of coffee like you say. I’m lazy and adapted it to a traybake but doubled the quantity and have never had so many great reviews and people asking for the recipe!
Enea says
Hi, can ghee be used instead of butter?
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve not tried it, but it should be fine.
Tracy says
Hi your cakes are lovely thank you ,could I put walnuts into the mixture please .
Charlotte Oates says
Yes. For this amount of mixture I’d fold in 100g of chopped walnuts.