A hugely popular Flour & Spice recipe, this coffee flavored coffee cake is well loved and for good reason!
Coffee and I we go way back, the kind of way back that makes it clear that I was my parents' third child and not their first - this Phitti Hui Coffee basically got me through my A Levels!
The original recipe which I got from my SIL was originally posted here. I tweaked it slightly to enhance the coffee flavor and texture of the cake.
Unlike most cake recipes this makes a smaller amount of cake and frosting which is nice because let's face it: If it made the twice the amount I would still finish it equally fast.
Bombay Bakery or ....
Bombay Bakery makes a lot of cakes, but if you are from Karachi and someone says Bombay Bakery Cake you have a singular expectation. It is the slim soft cake with coffee frosting. When I first had this cake it was positioned as a copycat of that cake and it's how many thousands of people think of it but folks THAT IS WRONG.
Bombay Bakerys cake is a vanilla cake with coffee frosting but it is IDEAL BAKERY that has the all coffee version.
My apologies for the accidental fib!
Tested and Re-tested
I get an itch every now and then to start playing with a recipe, to try and figure out if it can be improved. For this recipe I adjusted the butter, played with more oil, tweaked the sugars and so on. When it came down to it the only thing that I found made the cake any better was to halfway melt the butter. It made the cake a little more moist without sacrificing any flavor. I also have my friend Areeba from Mint Candy Designs to thank for accidentally testing it this way too.
Looking for more throwback desserts?
- Caramel Custard/Flan but dreamier and creamier than before!
- Kulfi with a Magic Crunch (it truly is magic!)
- Caramel Crunch Ice Cream - if you know you know
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Made this cake? Comment below and share your review! I can't wait to see your recreations so tag me on Instagram as well @flourandspiceblog
Coffee Cake with Coffee Buttercream
Ingredients
Coffee Cake
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ cup brown sugar (packed)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup butter - almost melted
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
Coffee Buttercream
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 tbsp hot water + 2 tsp instant coffee granules
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter/flour an 8 inch pan (for a slim cake) or a 6 inch pan for a higher cake
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
- Beat the butter till creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the sugars and beat for another 2-3 minutes until the sugars are fully incorporated and the mixture starts to look nice and fluffy.
- Now add the eggs one by one, beat 1 minute after each addition, and now mix in your vanilla extract.
- Then sift half your flour mix in, mix, scrape sides with a spatula, add remaining liquid (coffee solution and milk) and then sift in the other half of the flour mix, beat till combined.
- Pour the batter into your prepared tin
- Now start checking on it after the 30 minute mark, that's around when the cake should be done ( a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean) if you are using an 8 inch pan. With a 6 inch, it takes 12-15 minutes longer.
- Once the cake is out let it cool in the pan for ten minutes then flip and plate and let it cool to room temperature. While this is happening you can make the frosting.
Coffee Buttercream
- Whip the butter till fluffy, then add the powdered sugar gradually and at low speed till incorporated and finally add in your coffee mix, vanilla, and salt. Beat well.
- Frost the cake once it has cooled to room temperature. I found that it stayed best at room temperature, but if you are in a warmer climate then feel free to refrigerate it tightly covered.
Notes
Looking for more easy bakes? How about one of these!
Want to make this soon! Pin it for later!
Annika says
This is one of the cakes my “dessert hating” husband will ask for. It has a fantastic flavor, is very rich, and works for just about any occasion. Everyone who tries it has liked it - it’s not too sweet and travels well!
I typically double the recipe and make the following adjustments to intensify the coffee flavor:
- 2 8inch spring forms
- sub instant espresso for instant coffee
- dissolve the instant espresso in hot coffee instead of water
- I do half milk / half coffee instead of just 1/2 cup milk (for the doubled recipe)
- I sub homemade coffee whipped cream for the frosting - I find it pairs well with the denser cake. I add both instant espresso dissolved in coffee, as well as the instant espresso granules directly to the whipped cream. 1 cup of heavy cream makes enough to cover the cake and fill in the middle when you’re layering.
Sarah Mir says
thank you for sharing this!! love to see reviews like this!
Mary says
Made this for a party and this was crowds favorite. Othis cake finished in an instant as compared to other bakery cakes. Thank you for yet another fool proof recipe
Sarah Mir says
a definite sign of success if there ever was one! SO happy to hear that, thank you for the review!
Fatima says
This is an absolutely addictive recipe. You make it once and you’re hooked!!! Especially the frosting is dangerously delicious!
Sarah Mir says
Thank you SO SO much Fatima!
Javeria Nazim says
Satisfied my Bombay Bakery cake cravings!!!
Sarah Mir says
So glad to hear that!
Zainab says
Hey Sarah, I've made this cake a couple of times and each time it has turned out fantastic. Thanks so much for this recipe!!
I'm going to ask a scandalous question but I'm wondering if it's possible to do a vegan version of this cake as in do you have suggestions on how the recipe can be tweaked (if at all possible). I live in Germany and vegan cakes are a big thing here so I wonder how can I feed this amazing cake to vegan friends. I'd understand if you reply with a simple NO lol.
Sarah Mir says
Hi Zainab! First of all thank you for this review! Second of all I am trying to think this through, I haven't personally tried it and I haven't received any comments from anyone who has. You'd have to switch out the butter (easy enough) and the eggs which is what is trickier!
Anum says
Hi should we use salted butter or unsalted??
Sarah Mir says
unsalted! happy baking!
Zarifa Zaian says
Hi Sarah! I can’t wait to try out this recipe from Canada 🙂 I just had one question, do you use All Purpose flour or Cake flour?
Sarah Mir says
Zarifa! My fellow Canadian! AP flour is the way to go - happy baking 🙂
Lakshmi Yarlagadda says
If the butter is almost melted, how does one beat it till it's creamy and light...wont it be liquidy... Also i dont use a microwave, so melt on stovetop...
Sarah Mir says
Hey Lakshmi! I would definitely not use the stovetop for this because the way the stove top heats you will literally get liquid and not softened better. Given that it's warm these days you can leave it out on the counter to come to room temperature and go from there. When a microwave heats butter it basically softens it through and so when you see the melting start then it is still very much whippable and just not firm. Hope this helps!
Sushi says
Hey
Is the temperature in degree Celsius or °F ?
Thankyou
Sarah Mir says
Hey Sehrish! It's in fahrenheit!
Aditi says
I’ve tried baking many different coffee flavored cake recipes and this is hands down THE BEST recipe i’ve found and i’m so happy. The cake turned out extremely moist and the flavor of the coffee was just the right amount. I’m gonna be making this so often it’s my favorite thank you!! 🫶🏽
Sarah Mir says
Aditi! That is wonderful to hear! Thank you so so much for this review!
raabeaa says
could we try this with a cake mix? like a simple yellow cake mix ? just a thought! looking fwd to making this. All
your recipes have been so on point for me💜
Sarah Mir says
Hey! Do you mean make a vanilla cake and then use this frosting? This makes a small amount of frosting so I'd double it for a "regular" sized cake!
raabeaa says
hi!
i meant using a cake mix to make the cake itself but adding the coffee component to the vanilla cake mix. hope that makes sense! thanks!
Sarah Mir says
You know my mom does that alllll the time so I know it works, but she also just eyeballs quantities so I am not sure how much she puts in! it's her andaza that led me to food blogging so I suppose I shouldn't be critical of the lack of measuring!
Saira Raheel says
Amazing recipe and the cake turned out super moist and delicious … my kids loved it so did we … thank u for sharing
Mariyeh says
Hi ,
I have never tried Bombay bakery’s coffee cake but if it’s as good as this cake then I’m not bothered 😀, this was an easy recipe to follow and the cake turned out super moist and delicious! Like others I didn’t use the frosting. I was happy with the cake just as it was . I think using melted butter definitely has made all the difference!
P.s
I’m new to your website but this is the second recipe I have tried and so far it’s been great ! Can’t wait to try more new recipes.
Sarah Mir says
Hey Mariyeh!!! First of all thank you for popping by! Glad you're enjoying the recipes! Ever since you sent this message I've been thinking I should make it without frosting just to snack on! Thank you for your review!