If you’re reading this, chances are you love coffee as much as I do (or you’re here for a coffee loving friend). I don’t know about your city’s coffee situation, but we Portlanders are spoiled when it comes to good coffee. I wouldn’t call myself a coffee connoisseur per se, but I know what a good cup tastes like. So when I set out to configure the perfect coffee layer cake recipe, I wanted to capture the rich and aromatic flavor of the good stuff. The only way to do that is to use rich and aromatic coffee beans in the recipe!
It all starts with a delicious cup of coffee. The best part about this is you can make yourself an extra cup or two for sipping while you start whipping things together. I really love these Blue Bottle Coffee beans, because the combination of Congolese and Ethiopian beans produce a chocolatey aroma with undertones of blueberry and cardamom. Sounds delicious, right? Just keep in mind that whatever beans you choose will flavor the cake, so choose wisely! PS: isn’t it the best coincidence that my cake ended up matching my favorite coffee mug ever?
The texture of the cake is super soft thanks to cake flour (makes for ultra-fluffy cakes!) and a little brown sugar and sour cream for extra moisture. To bring out the richness of the coffee flavor, I’ve paired this coffee layer cake with a vanilla espresso buttercream and a chocolate ganache drip. The hint of chocolate ganache adds the perfect amount of depth to balance out the coffee flavors, and I can’t tell you how much I love the vanilla espresso buttercream. It’s basically my classic vanilla buttercream recipe with instant espresso powder added, but it ended up looking so pretty with the little flecks of espresso and tasting like a dream.
For garnish, I’ve used some chocolate covered espresso beans and these Speculoos cookies from Trader Joe’s ground into crumbs. If you’ve had these yummy cookies before you know they were made for pairing with coffee! They’re crispy caramelized cookies with a spiced cinnamon flavor, making them perfect for coffee dunking (or coffee cake decorating!). And thanks to these flavor choices, I ended up stumbling upon the most delicious snack ever: spread some vanilla espresso buttercream onto a Speculoos cookie, top with another cookie, and eat it like a sandwich. Heaven, y’all.
Whether you need something sweet to add to your brunch table or you just love coffee-flavored things, this cake will make you oh so happy.
Update 2021: I scaled this recipe down to make enough batter for three 6-inch cake pans or two 8-inch cake pans (the most requested sizes). Enjoy!
Coffee Layer Cake With Vanilla Espresso Buttercream
Ingredients
Coffee Layer Cake
- 2 3/4 Cups (290g) cake flour, sifted before measuring*
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
- 3/4 Cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 Cup (205g) granulated white sugar
- 1/3 cup (65g) packed brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) whole milk, room temperature
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) strong coffee, room temperature
Vanilla Espresso Buttercream
- 2 cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 cups (960g) powdered sugar
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp (45ml) whole milk, room temperature
- 1 Tbsp instant espresso powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
Make The Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with a cooking spray (Baker's Joy is my favorite) and a wax paper circle fitted to the bottom of the pan. Alternatively, you can grease and lightly flour the pans.
- Sift the cake flour and then measure by spooning and leveling it in your measuring cup. Add the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Combine the whole milk and coffee in a small container and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (a handheld mixer works fine too!), cream the butter for on high for two minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Add in white and brown sugars and continue to mix on high for another two minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix for one minute on high, scraping down the bowl and paddle once more.
- With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the coffee and whole milk mixture and mix until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few stirs to make sure there are no lumps. Batter will be slightly thick, but pourable.
- Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans (about 2/3 of the way full) and bake for 35-40 minutes. They’re done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for five minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack for an additional few hours of cooling. Make sure they’re entirely room temperature before applying any frosting.
Make The Vanilla Espresso Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter on med-high until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes), scraping down bowl and paddle a few times in between.
- Add powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down bowl and paddle between intervals. Mix on medium until fully incorporated.
- Turn mixer to low and add vanilla and milk. Mix on medium for one minute. Scrape down bowl and paddle and add the instant espresso powder and salt. Mix for another minute on medium until incorporated.
Assembly
- Torte each layer to desired height. Fill the first layer with vanilla espresso buttercream and place the second layer on top. Fill the second layer with vanilla espresso buttercream before placing the final layer on top. Crumb coat with vanilla espresso buttercream and place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to chill before frosting with a final layer of vanilla espresso buttercream.
- Decorate however you wish. I’ve chosen to decorate with a chocolate ganache drip, a few swirls on top with Wilton tip 1M, and garnish with crushed Speculoos cookies and chocolate covered espresso beans.
Notes
Make ahead tip: These cakes can be baked, cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap, and left out at room temperature up to two days ahead of decorating. Unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for up to two months before thawing and frosting. The buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip with your stand mixer.
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Did you make this cake? I want to know how you liked it! Let me know in the comments below or tag me on Instagram so I can see your coffee-infused creation!
This looks delicious! I need to make cupcakes — would this recipe yield 24 regular size cupcakes?
Hi Alison! A cupcake version of this recipe will be delicious! It will yield more than 24 cupcakes (probably more like 35). Be sure to fill the tins no more than 2/3 full, bake them at 350 for 17 minutes and you’ll be good.
Hi! So in the recipe it calls for instant espresso powder, is that instant espresso (ie you could add water and drink) or espresso powder (the one thats not really meant for drinking)? Thanks 🙂
Hi Lo! I used Instant Espresso Powder (the kind you can add water to and drink) but after doing some research it looks like you can use either. Espresso Powder and Instant Espresso Powder will add the same intense coffee flavor and are great for baking. Hope that helps! Here is the exact Instant Espresso Powder I used: https://amzn.to/2LF4xGb
Made as a birthday cake for coworker and it was a hit at the office. Everyone loved the frosting! Another coworker said she’ll request this one for her birthday.
That’s so wonderful to hear, Felicia! So happy the recipe was a hit!
Hi Whitney, If I’m wanting to use two 8 inch pans would you suggest doubling the recipe or 1 and a half times the recipe? Thanks
Hi Shel! For two 8 inch cake pans, this recipe will work perfectly as-is. Just be sure to fill the pans no more than 2/3 full!
What is the best way to get an even stronger coffee flavor? I’m making it for someone who LOVES coffee!
Hi Ava, this recipe was created for someone who loves coffee, so I made it to be pretty strong as-is! Between the espresso powder and strong coffee inside the cake and the espresso buttercream on the outside of the cake, it’s a coffee lover’s dream. If you want more coffee flavor, you can try adding another 1/4 cup of strong coffee to bring the total to 3/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup.
If I wanted to do a triple layer 8” cake, would you recommend 1.5x to everything in the recipe? Or would it be better to make one batch, then half a batch for the third sponge?
Hi Amy! I’d make 1.5x the recipe for three 8-inch layers. Enjoy!
It was my sons 16th birthday yesterday and when asked what cake he wanted he responded with a coffee cake.
I found this recipe and it was a hit with the whole family — we’re all coffee lovers.
I was worried the icing was going to be too sweet but was the cake really balanced it out.
Yay Kyla! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit with the whole family! This is one of my favorite recipes and I’m always so overjoyed to hear that others love it as much as I do. Thanks for taking the time to let me know and happy birthday to your son!
Hi Whitney!
Can i add some chocolate chips to the batter to make it a little chocolatey? I want to make a non-chocolate heavy mocha cake. Most chocolate cakes have coffee but chocolate is the dominant flavor!
Hi Anuja, you can totally add chocolate chips to the cake batter! I would coat them with a little bit of flour first so they don’t sink to the bottom in the baking process.
Hi! Would it be okay to use two 8” pans instead?
Hi Ashley! It would be totally ok to use two 8″ pans with this recipe. The baking time might be slightly different, I would check the cakes at 40 minutes and see if they need more time 🙂
How deep are the 6” pans you used? I’m literally baking this right now and watching them in the oven, they are sooo close to overflowing! Did you not use all the batter? Help!
Hi Jana, I use 2 inch deep cake pans and fill them no more than 2/3 full just as specified in the recipe. After filling the pans 2/3 of the way full I usually have a little bit of cake batter left over. If you did end up filling them too full, you may still be able to rescue them by using a cake leveler to cut off the tops of the cakes! I hope they can be salvaged!
Do you have a chocolate ganache recipe for this?
Hi Angie! I do. It’s linked in the recipe above but here’s quick access: https://sugarandsparrow.com/ganache-drip-cake-tips/
Hi Whitney. I tried this recipe today and it was indeed taste great!;)
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Jem! I’m so happy to hear that you loved the recipe! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
This looks amazing. What size cake tin have you used?
Thanks, Coralie! I’ve used a 6 inch cake pan for this one (3 layers).
Making this today! So excited to see how it turns out. Yours looks absolutely stunning!
Yay!! Let me know how it goes!
yeah it would be helpful if there is metric measurement, because not all of the reader use cups
Hi Kemala! I’ll be converting these recipes to metric measurements soon – don’t you worry!
Hi, Did you ever get round to converting from cups to metric? We dont use cups in the UK.
Hi Natasha! Yes, all of the recipes in my blog use metric measurements (they’re in parentheses next to each ingredient)!
Love the recipe. It would be great if you could add metric measurements for the ingredients..!! Thanks.
Thanks Rajni! I am so happy to hear you love the recipe!! And yes, I really need to get a kitchen scale so I can add metric measurements to my recipes. Will get on that asap!
Hi could you add walnuts to this recipe to make coffee and walnut cake? if so what measurements would you recommend please?
Hi Louise! Yes, you can add walnuts to this cake. I would fold about 1 1/2 Cups of chopped walnuts in at the end of the recipe.