This breakfast cake is a bad influence. Not possible, you say? Well, when chocolate and coffee join forces against me, I crumble. This cake made me want to call in sick to work this morning, and just spend the day on the couch with cake. I didn’t, but oh, oh the temptation! Maybe it’s the coffee and chocolate combination or maybe it’s the fact that I’m eating cake for breakfast, but it just makes me want to indulge in every other part of my life. These days, my indulgence involves my pajamas, the couch, The Gourmet Cookbook, and well… this cake. It’s cake for breakfast! Try it and indulge.
This cake has three (yes, count em… three) delicious flavors marbled together: vanilla, chocolate and espresso. The coffee cake is moistened by sour cream, which also creates a light and tender crumb. The texture is smooth and light. The Bundt type pan ensure that the cake bakes relatively quickly, without drying out. Essential. This cake is delicious with milk or coffee, and tastes even better when you’re wearing pajamas. True.
Mocha Coffee Coffee Cake with Espresso Glaze
adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder dissolved in 1 1/2 Tablespoons hot water
2 Tablespoons instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 Tablespoon hot water
For the Glaze
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
2-3 Tablespoons strong brewed coffee
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Make the Cake
Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Generously butter and flour 8- inch (6 cup) Bundt pan.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just incorporated.
Transfer about one third of the batter to a small bowl. Add espresso mixture and stir until combined. Transfer 1/3 of the remaining vanilla batter to another small bowl and add the cocoa mixture and stir until combined. Spoon all three batters into the Bundt pan, alternating so each flavor is distributed through the pan.
Bake until cake is golden, or until a wooden spoon inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 30 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.
Make the Glaze
Stir together espresso powder and 2 tablespoons coffee in a bowl until powder is dissolved. Add confectioners’ sugar and stir until well combined. If glaze is not pourable, thin with remaining coffee if necessary.
Pour glaze over coffee cake and let cake stand until glaze is set, about 10 minutes, before serving.
(This recipe can be doubled and baked in a 10- inch (12 cup) Bundt pan. Increase the baking time to about 1 hour.)
koko1215
YUMMY!!! you make me smile =))
Sarah
Sooooooooo good! Probably the moistest coffee cake I’ve ever tried. I subbed plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream and it worked fantastically.
Seriously, so delicious.
Thanks! :]
Keisha
This cake looks fanstastic. I have developed several of my own recipes, but couldn’t think of how to incorporate coffee into a cake, to make a good moist coffee cake. These flavors really compliment each other; I can’t wait to make this cake. I’m sure it taste as divine as it looks. Thanks for the recipe.
marixxa
in the oven now..I can’t wait :) The batter’s so yummy, I was telling hubby that we should send you a Christmas present for sharing with our family a lot of good recipes ;-)
nona
hi, well this recipe is up for over two years, but i just discovered your blog….it looks terrific. are you supposed to marble the batters with a knife or just spoon them alternately and leave it in sections of each batter? Thanks
Sandy
OH JOY! OH JOY! OH JOY! How could you cause a person to sinfully drewal over this coffe cake! I’m soooo excited to bake this honey up tomorrow and ENDULGE!!! Have any more tasty treats we can blow our diet with? Thanks for going public with little taste bud jewel!
Ken Topham
Unlike so many that enjoy the posts and dream I like to pursue them for myself. Joy, this is a beautiful and delicious recipe. I had fun putting it together and was amazed at how pretty the batter went together into perfect shades of color. My glaze turned out much darker which initially worried me that it might be too strong but worked out very nice. The flavors were incredible and thank you for an awesome blog!
Akinaj
This is delicious! I made it first in a bundt tin two weeks ago, and it was very moist and more-ish.
Today I decided to see how it would fare as muffins for a friend’s birthday party, and I must say the result is even better, if that’s possible.
Double the recipe made enough for 24 muffins, and they took a good half hour to 40 minutes in the oven at the same temperature as the cake.
Nana
Hi Joy, I’d love to make this. Can I substitute sour cream with 1cup youghurt + 1tsp baking soda? Or is their any other better subtitute. Thankyou sooo much for sharing your creations with us. Its a treat for the eyes n the taste buds :)
gaity
This sounds incredible! My sister just had a baby and she is craving everything chocolate and coffee and this sounds perfect! Where exactly do I get the instant espresso powder from? Thanks!