After years of wondering why coffee cake doesn't taste like coffee, I created this Coffee Coffee Cake, which features rich coffee flavor, an unbelievably soft crumb texture, and a buttery cinnamon streusel topping.
I think everyone has wondered at some point, why doesn't coffee cake taste like coffee?! Of course, the explanation is that coffee cake is a cake to be served with a cup of coffee. Coffee cakes are typically less sweet than other cakes because they do not have frosting. Sometimes they have a little drizzle of icing, like my Raspberry Lemon Coffee Cake, but typically they just have a really yummy streusel layer inside and on top of the cake.
If you love all things coffee cake, be sure to try out my Banana Coffee Cake Muffins or Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake, and be sure to put this Pumpkin Coffee Cake on your to-bake list for this Fall!
⭐️ Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Flavor: This cake is perfect for you if you love the flavor of coffee.
- Texture: This coffee cake has an incredible fluffy crumb texture, and the streusel topping is slightly crunchy for the perfect textural contrast.
- Method: Like my Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, this recipe is made using the reversed creaming method, which involves creaming together the softened butter with the sugar and dry ingredients and then mixing in the wet ingredients. This achieves a super soft and fluffy texture!
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make this espresso coffee cake.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: The softened butter in this recipe is creamed together with the dry ingredients using the reversed creaming method that I also use for my Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe.
- Coffee: The coffee flavor in this cake comes from instant coffee! This gives a concentrated coffee flavor without introducing too much liquid into the recipe.
- Sugar: This cake has white sugar in the batter and brown sugar in the cinnamon streusel topping.
- Buttermilk: Like in my Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake, buttermilk brings a level of moisture that is hard to beat! If you don't have buttermilk on hand, this guide on how to make buttermilk at home is super helpful!
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Cream together the softened butter and white sugar in a mixing bowl for 30 seconds.
Step 2: Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix at low speed.
Step 3: The mixture should be sand-like in texture with the butter evenly distributed throughout.
Step 4: Stir together the instant coffee granules and hot water until dissolved.
Step 5: Whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. Add the instant coffee dissolved in water.
Step 6: Add the combined wet ingredients to the flour/butter mixture and mix for 1 minute until smooth.
Step 7: Stir together the melted butter, vanilla, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon until a crumble forms.
Step 8: Spread the cake batter into a prepared pan and then crumble the streusel mixture all over the top.
Bake in a preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for about 20 minutes before slicing to serve.
☕️ More Coffee Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Coffee Flavored Coffee Cake or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Coffee Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 9x9-inch baking pan
- parchment paper or non-stick spray
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups & spoons
- electric handheld mixer
- silicone spatula
Ingredients
For the Batter:
- ½ cup salted butter * softened
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons hot water
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup buttermilk *
For the Streusel Topping:
- ¼ cup salted butter * melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a 9X9-inch baking pan with parchment paper or grease it with non-stick spray or butter.
- Cream together the softened butter and white sugar in a mixing bowl for 30 seconds. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix at low speed until the mixture is sand-like in texture with the butter evenly distributed throughout.½ cup salted butter, 1 cup granulated white sugar, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Stir together the instant coffee granules and hot water until dissolved. Whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. Add the instant coffee dissolved in water. Add the combined wet ingredients to the flour/butter mixture and mix for 1 minute until smooth.2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons hot water, 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules, ¾ cup buttermilk
- Stir together the melted butter, vanilla, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon until a crumble forms. Spread the cake batter into a prepared pan and then crumble the streusel mixture all over the top. Bake in a preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for about 20 minutes before slicing to serve. Enjoy!¼ cup salted butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla, ½ cup packed brown sugar, ½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Notes
- If using unsalted butter, add an additional ¼ teaspoon of salt to the batter and ⅛ teaspoon to the streusel.
- If you don't have buttermilk, this guide on how to make buttermilk at home is super helpful.
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