Servings
Font
Back
Coffee Layer Cake
5 from 36 votes

Coffee Layer Cake

Coffee Layer Cake combines layers of moist cake flavored with instant coffee dissolved in milk, baked with a butter and sugar base. Rich coffee buttercream frosting made with cold butter, cream, numerous coffee teaspoons, and icing sugar completes it. The use of coffee granules creates a distinct coffee flavor with a tender crumb.

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
30 mins
Additional Time
4 hrs
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 823 kcal
Course: Dessert, Cake
Cuisine: European, North American, Sri Lankan

Ingredients

Coffee cake layers
  • 226 g butter 2 sticks, softened at room temperature. Replace half of the butter with oil ( ½ cup / 100 g) for a softer cake crumb, unsalted
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 300 g white sugar 1 ½ cups
  • 4 egg at room temperature, large
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 4 tsp instant coffee I used Nescafe
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 315 g all-purpose flour 2 ½ cups, measured by spoon and level method
  • 2 ½ tsp baking powder
Coffee buttercream
  • 455 g butter 4 sticks (cool but not cold; about 70°F, unsalted
  • ½ tsp salt or ¾ tsp
  • 80 mL whipping cream ⅓ cup, cold
  • 4 - 6 tsp instant coffee use 6 if you want a robust coffee flavor
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 500 - 567 g confectioners' sugar 4 - 5 cups (measured by spoon and level method
To decorate (optional)
  • chocolate fudge sauce
  • coffee beans chocolate covered
  • chocolate sprinkles
  • Speculoos cookies crushed

Instructions

Coffee Cake layers
    Cup of Yum
  1. For best results, make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature.
  2. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom of two 8 inch pans with parchment paper, and butter and flour the sides. Set aside.
  3. Cream the softened butter until the mix is creamy and fluffy. This can take about 5 - 10 minutes with a stand mixer, depending on how soft the butter is.
  4. Add the sugar and salt, and cream the butter and sugar further until the mixture is creamy and fluffy.
  5. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
  6. Dissolve the instant coffee granules in the milk, and stir in the vanilla. Set it aside until needed.
  7. In a separate bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together and whisk to combine.
  8. Fold the dry ingredients into the cake batter in 3 - 4 additions, while alternating with the coffee-milk mixture. The dry ingredients should be added first and last. Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.
  9. Divide the batter into the two prepared cake pans. You can either weigh the batter and divide it equally by weight, OR use an ice cream scoop to evenly portion the batter into the cake pans. Spread the batter evenly in the pan using a small offset spatula or small rubber spatula.
  10. Knock the cake pans on your kitchen counter 3 - 4 times to flatten the batter and to remove any large gas pockets.
  11. Bake the cakes in the preheated oven for about 25 - 30 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway through the baking time.
  12. The cake should be springy to the touch when done (when you gently poke the middle of the cake, it should spring back up). Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool slightly in the pan. While still warm, turn the cake out onto a wire rack and let it cool down completely.
  13. If you’re assembling the cake the following day, wrap the cooled cake layers in plastic wrap and leave them in the fridge or at room temperature.
Coffee buttercream
  1. Place the butter in the bowl of your stand mixer. With a whisk attachment, whip the butter until creamy and white in color - about 3 to 7 minutes on high speed (not maximum speed). Take as long as you need to make the butter very creamy.
  2. Dissolve the instant coffee in 1 - 2 tbsp of water and stir it into the cream.
  3. Add the salt, coffee cream, and vanilla into the butter, and whisk further until the butter-cream mix is light and fluffy (for a few minutes).
  4. Lower the speed and add 500 g (4 cups) of the confectioner’s sugar – a little at a time, and incorporate the confectioner's sugar into the butter. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl as you go.
  5. Once the sugar is incorporated into the butter, increase the speed, and whisk on high for 1 - 3 minutes. Taste and add the rest of the confectioner’s sugar if you want a sweeter buttercream. Whisk for a further 2 – 3 minutes until you have a light, fluffy, soft, spreadable frosting.
  6. If the frosting is too stiff, you can add extra cream (1 tbsp at a time) to get an even softer buttercream. If you want the buttercream to have a stronger coffee flavor, you can also dissolve any extra coffee granules into 1 tbsp of water and whisk in that as well.
Assembling the cake
  1. Level the top of the cake layers (if they are domed).
  2. Place one cake layer on a cake serving plate or decorating plate. Make sure the bottom of the cake is facing down.
  3. Place about ¾ cup of the frosting on top of this cake layer and spread it evenly. You can add more or less of the frosting as you like.
  4. Now place the second cake layer on top. Make sure the bottom of the cake is facing up this time, so that you have a level surface on top to frost. Gently press the cake down to make sure the cake layer sticks to the buttercream below.
  5. Apply a thin coating of the frosting to completely cover the cake. This is the crumb coating. The crumb coating will help make the sides and top of the cake even, and make it easier to frost the final layer of buttercream.
  6. Allow the crumb coating to set in the fridge (or a cool place in your kitchen) for a few minutes.
  7. Evenly spread the rest of the frosting over the cake. Use an offset spatula to create swirls for an old fashioned cake look, OR use a bench scraper or spatula to smooth out the frosting.
Decoration
  1. Decorate the cake however you like. Here, I applied one strip of soft chocolate fudge sauce inside a pastry bag, and then filled the pastry bag with the coffee buttercream. This creates a chocolate marble effect in the buttercream when piped (as you can see in the pictures).
  2. Alternatively, you can pipe a plain buttercream border, or use the sprinkles or crushed cookies to decorate the cake.

Notes

  • If using instant coffee powder instead of granules, reduce coffee amount accordingly.
  • Half the butter may be substituted with oil to achieve a softer cake crumb.
  • Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature before mixing for best results.
  • The coffee cream mixture can be added at the beginning or after confectioners' sugar; both methods work if mixed well.

Nutrition Information

Calories 823kcal (41%) Carbohydrates 89g (30%) Protein 6g (12%) Fat 51g (78%) Saturated Fat 31g (155%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g (12%) Monounsaturated Fat 13g (65%) Trans Fat 2g (100%) Cholesterol 187mg (62%) Sodium 233mg (10%) Potassium 199mg (4%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 67g (134%) Vitamin A 1620IU (32%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 85mg (9%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12 slices

Amount Per Serving

Calories 823

% Daily Value*

Calories 823kcal 41%
Carbohydrates 89g 30%
Protein 6g 12%
Fat 51g 78%
Saturated Fat 31g 155%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 13g 65%
Trans Fat 2g 100%
Cholesterol 187mg 62%
Sodium 233mg 10%
Potassium 199mg 4%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 67g 134%
Vitamin A 1620IU 32%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 85mg 9%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.