A delicious, moist coffee layer cake is filled with coffee buttercream and apricot jam. This English Coffee Cake is perfect for Afternoon Tea or a late night snack!
You may be confused by the title and picture, in America coffee cake looks much different than this cake. But for
Ironically I don't drink coffee, but coffee flavored desserts are my jam!! This coffee cheesecake is one of my all time favorites.
Let's get to the recipe.
What is the difference between English and American Coffee Cake?
American coffee cake is a moist, dense yellow cake, topped with a copious amount of crumb topping, and sometimes drizzled with icing.
English coffee cake is a cake flavored with coffee.
Coffee in the cake- see that makes way more sense to me! And it's the way I grew up with it. My mom and nan always made coffee cake. And coffee buttercream is legit so good.
What are the ingredients for a coffee layer cake?
To make the cake you only need standard pantry staples.
- All-Purpose Flour/ Plain Flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Large Eggs, at room temp.
- Granulated Sugar/ Caster Sugar
- Unsalted Butter, at room temp.
- Vegetable Oil or another neutral oil like
Grapseed - Instant coffee or Espresso Powder (adjust amount to your preference less or more)
- Hot water to liquify the coffee
- Buttermilk, at room temp.
To decorate this cake these items are needed:
- 1 Batch Coffee Buttercream Recipe
- Apricot Jam/ Preserves- sounds weird but trust me it goes beautifully with the coffee flavor
- Roasted Walnuts- roasted nuts and coffee frosting are amazing
Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different from what someone else scoops!
How do you make a coffee layer cake?
Of course we are going to start by preheating our oven to 350F/ 180C and grease two 8-inch cake pans. It is ever soooo important to grease your pans so the cake releases easily an stays together!
Let's combine the dry ingredients- in a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In another large bowl with a handheld mixer or your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter for 2 minutes, add the oil and mix for an additional minute.
You can use vegetable or grapeseed oil, basically any oil that is neutral in flavor.
I like to use butter for the flavor it gives to cakes but I also like to add a little oil due to the high level of moisture it creates in cakes.
Add the sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs.
In a small cup or bowl add the coffee granulates and hot water- stir until coffee granulates have disappeared. Add to the wet ingredients.
Gently fold in half of the flour mixture, then half of the buttermilk then repeat with remaining ingredients.
How to bake coffee cake?
Pour the batter into prepared pans and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until you stick a toothpick in the center and only moist crumbs come out, no wet batter.
You can also gently press the top center of the cake and if it bounces back the cake is done.
Let the cakes cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before inverting to cool completely.
How do you assemble a coffee layer cake?
Place one cake layer on a cake board or serving plate, spread about 4oz (½ Cup) of coffee frosting on the cake, making the edges higher to create a frosting dam for the apricot jam.
Spread the jam within that frosting dam and place remaining cake layer on top bottom face up- this helps create a flat top. Spread frosting on the top layer and decorate with roasted walnuts.
Can you make coffee cake ahead of time?
Of course, once the cakes are completely cool wrap them tightly in plastic wrap then wrap again. Place on a flat surface in the freezer and freeze for up to a month. Let cake thaw at room temperature for one hour before use.
If you are worried your cake was not wrapped tightly enough and has lost some moisture you can make a quick simple syrup to brush the cake. In a small pot add equal parts sugar and water, ½ cup of each should be fine, and let it simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Using a pastry brush, brush the cake layers with the simple syrup.
Can you freeze coffee cake?
You can freeze the cake and frosting separately, or leftover slices, or the whole cake.
- Separately- To freeze the cake you need to tightly wrap the cake in plastic wrap and store on a flat surface in the freeze. To thaw let it sit out at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
- To freeze the frosting- store in an airtight container, let thaw in the fridge overnight, and let sit at room temperature the next day. Rewhip the frosting before use.
- To freeze the whole cake, let the cake sit in the freezer until frozen. Then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Let the cake thaw in the fridge overnight - removing tight plastic wrap to prevent messing up the frosting, after thawed in fridge let the cake sit at room temperature the next day
- To freeze the cake slices, place the slices in the freezer just until frozen then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. To thaw take the slices out of the freeze and let sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
Here are some of my other favorite cake recipes:
Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake- this cake is moist and soft, filled with homemade salted caramel, fresh whipped cream, and chocolate ganache. This cake is seriously a dream.
Raspberry Swirl Lemon Cheesecake- This light lemony cheesecake is swirled with a raspberry puree, creating a gorgeous and tasty cake!
Chocolate Lava Cake- Surprisingly very easy to make these individual cakes are always a hit and perfect to make ahead for a dinner party!
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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Coffee Layer Cake
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 Slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: English
Description
Soft and moist coffee flavored cake layers are filled with a layer of apricot jam and topped with gorgeous coffee buttercream and roasted walnuts. This English-style coffee cake is perfect any time of day, not just for afternoon tea!
Ingredients
Coffee Cake
- 375 grams (3 Cups) All-Purpose Flour/ Plain Flour
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 4 Large Eggs, at room temp.
- 300 grams (1 ½ Cup) Granulated Sugar/ Caster Sugar
- 6oz (¾ Cup) Unsalted Butter, at room temp.
- 2oz (¼ Cup) Vegetable Oil
- 1.5 Tablespoons Instant coffee (adjust amount to your preference less or more)
- 1oz Hot water (more or less depending on how strong you want the coffee flavor)
- 8oz (1 Cup) Buttermilk, at room temp.
Assembly
- 1 Batch Coffee Buttercream Recipe
- 4oz (½ Cup) Apricot Jam/ Preserves
- 4oz (½ Cup) Roasted Walnuts
Instructions
Coffee Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350F/ 180C and grease two 8-inch cake pans, set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another large bowl with a handheld mixer or your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter for 2 minutes, add the oil and mix for an additional minute.
- Add the sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs.
- In a small cup or bowl add the coffee granulates and hot water- stir until coffee granulates have disappeared. Add to the wet ingredients.
- Gently fold in half of the flour mixture, then half of the buttermilk then repeat with remaining ingredients. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until you stick a toothpick in the center and only moist crumbs come out, no wet batter. Let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before inverting to cool completely.
Assembly
- Place one cake layer on a cake board or serving plate, spread about 4oz (½ Cup) of frosting on the cake, making the edges higher to create a frosting dam for the apricot jam. Spread jam within that frosting dam and place remaining cake layer on top bottom face up- this helps create a flat top. Spread frosting on the top layer and decorate with roasted walnuts.
Keywords: coffee cake, english coffee cake, ake
Sonia says
Hi, i can't wait to make this recipe cuz i love coffee flavored desserts so much!! Can i make this with a 9-inch cake pan?? cuz that's the one that i had right now....
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Sonia, thanks for asking! Yes, you totally can, I would just start checking the cake at around 18-19 minutes to see if it's done then as it will bake quicker. Please come back and let me know how you liked the recipe!
Sal says
Hi, I'm supposed to make this cake in a few hours, but I don't have buttermilk, is there a substitute?
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Sal you could put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in a measuring cup and fill the rest with milk and let it sit for 15 minutes or so. That is a cheaters version of buttermilk, I personally use this all the time! Please let me know if you have any further questions or what you think of the recipe I would love to know what you think!! XX Liz
Emily says
I was let down by another coffee and walnut recipe thank god I found this!!! Perfect colour it rose beautifully and I got to use my new wilton bake even strips 🙂
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for coming back to review and rate the recipe Emily, I truly appreciate it!!! I am so happy that you enjoyed the cake!! Take care. XX Liz
Georgia says
Hello! i would love to make this cake it looks delicious, but can I use self raising flour alongside the buttermilk? Would any changes to amounts need to made?
Thank you
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Georgia, I personally have not done it but if using self-raising flour I would omit the baking powder but still use the baking soda and buttermilk. Please let me know if you have any further questions or if you bake the recipe I would love to know! Thanks XX Liz
Freddy says
Absolutely delicious
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for the lovely review Freddy! XX Liz
Chloe says
Lovely recipe, but I wonder why my cake - even though it’s moist- falls apart when being cut?
★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Chloe, thanks for reaching out! First off, glad you liked the cake. Second, when I make the cake I don't find it crumbly at all. There are a few reasons why it might be crumbly for you- the batter might be overmixed, the oven might not be at the right temperature, the ingredients might not be spot on- I like to weight my ingredients instead of using cups. Let me know if I can help with anything else!! XX Liz
p says
hi there..can i use a single 9 inch springform pan to bake this? thx
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi P, thanks for reaching out! If your pan is deep enough that shouldn't be a problem but the bake time would be a lot longer, I would start checking the cake at 30 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions and how you like the recipe!! XX Liz
Kelly says
Could I use a 9x13 pan? I realize I won't be able to add jam, thats okay just need to be able to transport and 9x13 is easier.
Must say cake looks wonderful.
Kelly
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Kelly, thanks for the questions. I have personally never made it in a 9X13 pan but if you were to try it I would guess the baking time would be around 17-22 minutes but I am not 100%sure so make sure to check by using a toothpick inserted in the center to check for any wet batter, moist crumbs are okay but not liquid batter. Please let me know if I can help with anything else or if you try the recipe I would love to know what you think! XX Liz
Barbara Tretola says
Can I use a sugar substitute like monkfruit or swerve?
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Barbara, I have not personally baked a cake with either of those sugar substitutes. But I know I've seen Swerve is an equal substitute so I would try there, but I cannot guarantee anything, so sorry. Please let me know if I can help with anything else or if you try the recipe would love to know how it turns out! XX Liz
Hilary Simons says
A five star hit! The recipe was a dream to follow. The addition of oil was genius - I’m more and more seeking recipes that use oil because it really makes the bake moist and the cake stays good to eat longer (although not tested here since this cake was devoured in hours)!
I used plain low fat yoghurt instead of buttermilk. Perfect.
The only thing I did differently otherwise was to half the frosting - I found that fine to fill and ice for 2 x9 inch cakes
Fabulous. I will be trying more of your lovely recipes soon!
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Aww thank you so much for the kind words, Hilary. So glad you all enjoyed it. And thank you so much for leaving a review it really helps me out, so thank you!! Excited to hear what you try baking next, feel free to always direct message me on Instagram if you have any questions or would like quicker responses!! Take care. XX Liz
Cooking With My Mini says
My little one and I (@cookingwithmymini) loved making this cake for Father's Day at the request of daddy for something that he had all the time growing up in England. He said it was perfect, and the whole family enjoyed the delicious coffee flavor. We will definitely be making it again!
★★★★★