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!
Heba says
Made this for my mom and she absolutely loved it! Thank you for sharing!!!!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Yay!!!! That's awesome Heba I am SO happy to hear that!
Bushra says
Can you tell how many gms of flour equals 1 cup cause I have liquid measuring cup instead of the dry measuring cup.
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Bushra! It's a different unit of measurement but roughly 120g!
Sonia J Joseph says
Hey Sarah,
Came to your blog when I was seraching for a coffee flavoured cake. I must say this is just what I was looking for. I am a sucker for flavourful plain cakes (I didn't do the frosting-I have no patience for frosting). This is a keeper. Thank you for sharing
Sonia
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Sonia! Thank you so so much for your kind words. I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the cake - I also have SUCH a soft spot for coffee flavored treats!
Rumesah says
Would it be possible to use salted butter for the icing (I'm all out of unsalted butter haha)? If it is, what changes should I make to the ingredients? This cake sounds amazing, really looking forward to making it!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Rumesah! I generally wouldn't recommend making that swap because all salted butters aren't the same (some saltier than others). You can totally make it with half a cup of oil though - it'll still be good!
Noni says
I’ve substituted shortening for butter when making icing.
Khadija says
👌👌👌
It is a fabulous recipe, the cake turned out fantastic, so moist and soft yet so rich in flavour!!! It just melts in your mouth! I didn't even get the chance to do the icing!!! As soon it was cool enough we indulged and soon only a slice was left behind 🤩
Keep sharing wonderful recipes!!!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Khadija that is absolutely awesome to hear!!! thank you!!!!
Caroline says
Hi,
Glad to know your cake turned out fab. Just wondering, if you would be able to advice me about the type of sugar you used ( was it demerara sugar or dark brown soft sugar) or
if you made any modifications .I followed the recipe to the letter, but my cake turned dense and flat on both attempts.
Thank you very much in advance. Hope you will be able to help.
Sarah Mir says
Hmmm dense and flat sounds like the leavening wasn't doing it's work. Cold ingredients (such as eggs) also tend to whip up less so that could be part of the issue
Marriam says
What if I only have regular brown sugar (that is used for tea etc)
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Marriam! If you don't have white sugar then this cake will still be yummy just softer!
Hafaa says
What will be the calories of this cake
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Hafsa! I am not sure, but you can probably find a nutrition calculator online
Saira says
The butter should be 3/4 cup before melting or should I take melted 3/4 cup butter..
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Saira! So it should be 3/4 cup melted but if you're in North America or the UK and using sticks of butter then that would be 1.5 stick of butter and then you just melt it and don't need to measure it!
HA says
I tried baking the cake ... the sides were done but the centre was raw ☹️
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Huria! What pan size did you use?
Nadia says
Such a great recipe with no need to tweak anything. Came out super moist and flavourful. This recipe is definitely going in our family’s kitchen cookbook!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thank you Nadia!!! That's great to hear!
Samia says
This tastes like iced Capp in a cake version. Thanks for sharing Sarah!!!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
That really is the BEST description! thank you!
Nadia says
When you say the butter should be “almost melted” in the ingredients does that mean we should just let it sit out for a long time or partially melt it in the microwave? Thanks for the recipe!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Nadia! Microwave it so it's almost melted through! Hope you like it 🙂
Noor says
I tried baking this and it turned out great!! The cake was very moist and delicious.
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
I am so happy to hear that! thank you!
sweetspo says
Looks so good! Could this be made in a 9 inch round pan? Or should I go ahead and finally buy an 8 inch pan, already lol
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
It's not a lot of batter so if you are going to make it a 9 inch pan then just watch the time closely! Like start checking on the batter 10 minutes sooner! Hope you like it 🙂
Ria says
Hi. I should bake this cake in oven keeping it 350degrees for 30mimutes ????
myninjanaan says
omggggg this looks so good! I LOVE coffee tooooo and I love that it's a small enough cake! love it!
sarahjmir says
Thanks!