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!
Khadeeja Syed says
Salaam Sarah! I want to try this recipe but don't have instant coffee. Could I substitute with regular brewed coffee or espresso? If so, how much would you recommend? Thank you!
Sarah Mir says
HI Khadeeja! So sorry - just seeing this. I haven't personally tried it with anything but instant and I don't want to mislead you!
Sehrish Khan says
Hi Sarah!
I tried your coffee cake, and it was simply amazing!!🤩 I adjusted the ingredients a bit because I don't have the measuring cups. Also, I baked it in loaf pan because I wasn't sure about the size of my pan. But the cake came out so perfectly, even though I didn't put any frosting over it 🤩🤩🤗🤗🥳🥳 (my husband doesn't like frosting on the cakes). It was an absolute treat to our day. 😊🥰🫠😇
Lesley says
This was very good even without the icing. Wonderful flavor and nice and moist. Next time will bake in different pan as was a bit too much better for 6 inch round pan.
Sarah Mir says
Absolutely wonderful to hear that! Thank you!
Kanval Aleem says
Hi, I am about to give it a try.
In the blog , you mentioned about halfway melting your butter.
I didn’t quite get it. Could you please explain.
Wish me luck.
Thanks
Sarah Mir says
Hi Kanval! If you microwave your butter so that it's semi liquid semi solid (about 30 seconds) that's ideal!
Zainab says
The first time i made in the pandemic i forgot sugar which i eventually remembered and added to the batter.. then when it was already in the oven i remembered i never added milk.. it was still yummy despite being a little dry.
Today i followed the recipe to the T for some guests and cant wait to dig in when they ate here..
it looks perfect!
Sarah Mir says
I hope your guests loved it! Re: forgetting the milk, I could write a book on my baking snafus!
Nabiya says
Amazing cake. Just the best! The frosting is droolworthy
Sarah Mir says
Thank you so so much Nabiya!
Luna says
Lovely cake. I don't have instant coffee so I brewed triple strength and used that in place of the milk. Added strong bourbon (1 tablespoon) and no vanilla. Tastes great. I think I would cut back on the butter a bit, cake is a little dense. I didn't make the frosting, ran out of time, served it with ice cream. Delicious.
Sarah Mir says
Hey Luna! Cool substitutions! Thanks so much for the feedback 🙂
Fatima Khan says
Have made it once and making it again today In Shaa Allah. It is a delicious cake and the buttercream is just *chef’s kiss* MashaAllah.
Sarah Mir says
OOFH! THANK YOU! Happy New Year!
Mona says
Can this recipe be doubled or tripled to make a bigger size?
Sarah Mir says
Yes absolutely! This is a smaller cake and I know of lots of people who have doubled it for parties!
Susan says
Stumbled upon your blog while searching for the perfect coffee cake for a friend’s son’s birthday. The cake turned out so delicious& moist. The birthday boy loved the cake. Thank you!
I started following your Instagram page as well thanks to this recipe and enjoy all your posts.
Sarah Mir says
Aww susan thank you so very much for this!
Sana Mirza says
This was really good. Even without the frosting. Everything is so perfect about this cake. Thanks a lot for such a great recipe.
Sarah Mir says
Glad to hear it!! Thank you Sana!
Sally says
Hi,
One more question please, is it soft ‘dark brown’ sugar or Demerara sugar that is used for this coffee cake?
Thank you very much.
Sarah Mir says
In terms of the sugar I have used every variation on brown sugar and it works (from light brown to demerara) so I'd say use whatever is in your pantry!
Sally says
Hi
First time landed upon your website and am captivated by your coffee cake. Can’t wait to whip it up!
I am just wondering if the cup and spoon measurements given to make this cake are U.K. specific, as American cup and spoon capacity is different.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Sarah Mir says
Hi Sally! That's an excellent question - they're definitely based on American measurements since that is what I have and use but my understanding from other readers is that its worked well even in UK measurements! Happy bakingQ!
Victoria says
I love this cake recipe and have made it plenty of times in a 9inch pan but this past time I tried to make it in the 6inch and it started to overflow to the bottom of the oven. Should I have split the batter between two 6inch pans?
Sarah Mir says
Hi victoria! My 6 inch pan has high sides so perhaps that's why I didn't have that issue. The 6 inch pans I use for layered cakes are shallow and I can totally imagine that happening with those. Thank you for bringing this to my attention - I should specify pan height too!
Rach says
Made this cake in a 7 inch cake pan..baked for 1 hour and still center was raw.. also do we put this in the fridge to cool down.. its became rock hard but the taste was really good
Sarah Mir says
hmm I am surprised by that but sometimes the temperatures vary across ovens. I usually don't refrigerate cakes for the above reason. if I do then I make sure they are well covered and take them out in advance and serve them at room temperature