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!
Fatima says
Really liked this recipe. I’m a true Bombay bakery coffee cake fan. And this recipe is so similar to it. And yes! This one is more moist. Those who are coffee lovers would definitely love it. I will surely make it again. 💕
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thank you so so much Fatima! I am thrilled to hear that!
Faheema says
Could I double the recipe and make it a sandwich cake?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Absolutely!!!
Aminah says
My absolute favourite! So easy to make too!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
thank you Aminah!
Sadia Ahmed says
Hi Sarah,
Can I use this recipe with the exact measurements and make it into cupcakes?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Absolutely! It makes a smaller batch I believe - a little over a dozen!
Ronak Mehta says
Baked this cake for my birthday and it was an absolute hit! So moist and tasty. Thank you for doing what you do
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
thank you Ronak for sharing that and a Happy Belated Birthday to you!
Shagfraz says
Hi the butter in this recipe is salted/ unsalted
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Unsalted always unless it's specified to be salted!
Fara'in Zainal says
Hi , i made these yesterday in a mini bundt pan, result was superb ! Rich flavour, moist and yes i did'nt get to do the frosting too, coz its gone by the time i set it on the plate 🥰.
I have been searching in google and you tube for a real flavoured COFFEE cake, and i found your recipe .
Thank you for sharing it with us !
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
I am SO SO happy to hear that! thank you very much for sharing your review!
Allison Brennan says
Is there a way I could add blueberries to this recipe?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Allison! I am not sure if it will work because the cake is already fairly moist, but if you give it a shot I would love to hear how it turned out!
Amna Khalid says
Hello. Is butter should be salted or unsalted?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Unsalted always!
Farah says
No oil required in this cake?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Yup! This cake is made with butter not oil 🙂
Nousheen says
Hi Sarah,
What do you mean by instant coffee? The powdered one with milk and sugar in it or the one with some granules?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Instant coffee is just coffee not the powdered sugar and milk mix. thanks for the question!
Nashia says
Hi!
Any thoughts if I want to replace butter with oil and should I reduce the quantity of butter?
TIA
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Nashia! I am SO sorry about missing this - yes you'd been to decrease the quantity for oil. I'd use about half a cup!
Bindu says
Do you think I can bake this as cupcakes instead of a cake tin? 8-10 minutes should be enough?
Sarah Mir says
Hi Bindu! I know people who have done it but I haven't. For cupcakes I typically feel like 12-14 minutes is right but your nose is always a good indicator of when things are baked - the aroma becomes so nice then!
Zahra says
In step 6 you say add remaining coffee and milk. At which point do u put it first? I couldn’t find it in the receding steps.
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Zahra! I say remaining liquid which is the dissolved coffee and milk mix! Sorry about the late reply on this - I am not sure how I missed it!
Tania says
This cake is DIVINE! I came across this recipe when searching for the Bombay cake recipe (which I had been craving for YEARS) and happy to report, this is actually better... and SO EASY .... thank you for sharing this recipe and sharing credit with the original blogs!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
I am SO happy to hear that Tania thank you!!!!
Malika says
My mom simply loves coffee cakes
I made this for her on mothers day
And she liked this recipe so much
Im simply inspired by ur recipes
They are amazing
I love to cook and your recipes have made that extremely easy🥰🥰🥰🥰this cake was super moist from the inside.
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
That is WONDERFUL to hear! Thank you and your mother is lucky to have you!
Anum says
I love love love this recipe and the resultant cake! It came out so good my mind was blown. Lol. Thank you for this!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thank you SO SO much!!!!!
Samar says
This cake turned out perfect - thank you !
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thank YOU!