Coffee Flavoured Cake (Three Layers)

This coffee flavoured cake is made up of three different coffee sponge cakes inspired by the latte, mocha and Americano drinks. It’s an eye-catching layer cake topped with smooth and silky Swiss meringue buttercream and it is sure to please lovers of coffee.

This recipe was first published in 2019 and updated in 2021. It now includes step-by-step instructions, expert tips and frequently asked questions.

Disclaimer: I was gifted the stand mixer featured in this post by Berg Innovations. I was not paid to write this post and all opinions are my own.

Note that I’ve called this a coffee-flavoured cake rather a coffee cake. That’s because in certain parts of the world a coffee cake is any cake intended to be eaten alongside a cup of coffee. However, in the UK, a coffee cake is always flavoured with coffee.

So to be absolutely clear, this is a coffee-flavoured cake recipe. Naturally, it goes very well with a cup of coffee too!

For more lovely coffee flavoured desserts try my coffee loaf cake, coffee cupcakes, Amaretto tiramisu or my chocolate and coffee cake.

Why this coffee flavoured cake is worth making

If you are after a showstopping coffee layer cake look no further. This bake comprises of three different flavours of easy to make coffee sponge cake:

• latte coffee cake (a milky coffee sponge)
• Mocha cake (a stronger coffee & chocolate sponge)
• Dark coffee cake (an Americano style black coffee sponge)

When cut into the effect is visually striking since each layer of coffee sponge cake is a different shade of brown. It’s definitely a cake that will surprise unsuspecting guests.

It’s also topped with a wonderful coffee flavoured Swiss meringue buttercream. This turns it from a great cake into an outstanding cake in my opinion. Swiss meringue buttercream delivers a much more opulent and elegant sensation of sweetness than regular buttercream. The texture is beautifully creamy & velvet-soft with a rich, buttery mouthfeel. In other words: it’s downright luscious.

Essential Facts about Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• Swiss meringue buttercream is made by heating egg whites and sugar together to 71C/ 168F prior to whisking to stiff peaks. When the stiff peak stage is reached and the meringue has cooled, butter is added, chunk by chunk, to produce a spectacular buttercream
• It is easy to flavour the buttercream
• There are plenty of step by step tutorials and videos available to help guide you. I like the video by Handle the Heat and the step by step guide by Sugar Hero
• I flavoured my buttercream with instant coffee granules dissolved in water. Once made, it should be stored in the fridge until ready for use. Allow to come back to room temperature and re-whip before using. It may split at first, but keep on whipping for 5 minutes and it will return to its smooth form

Ingredients

For such an impressive-looking bake there are only eight ingredients required for this coffee flavoured cake and they are all easy to come by.

As far as the coffee goes, I used Gold Blend, which is an affordable mainstream granulated coffee available in most UK supermarkets. If you have a favourite instant coffee go with that though, there’s no need to buy this brand specifically.

Note in the recipe the large number of eggs used – 3 whole eggs plus 6 egg whites. If you are wondering how to use up the spare yolks then how about trying out some French buttercream on some cupcakes. It’s incredibly rich but so very tasty.

Step by Step Instructions: Coffee Sponge Cake

This coffee flavoured cake is very easy to make. Follow these steps and the sponges can be in the oven within 20 minutes:

1. Dissolve the coffee granules in boiling water
2. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
3. Add the eggs to the creamed butter and sugar, a little at a time, beating well between each addition (this helps reduce the risk of the batter splitting)
4. Sieve the flour and baking powder over the cake batter and mix in 
5. Divide the cake batter equally into 3 small mixing bowls:
   • To the first bowl stir in 1 ½ tsp of the cooled coffee and the vanilla extract
   • To the next bowl mix in the cocoa powder (sieved) and 2 tsp of the cooled coffee
   • and to the final bowl add 1 tablespoon cooled coffee and mix in
6. Pour the cake batters into greased and lined baking tins and bake in a preheated oven until the cake springs back when lightly pressed or a skewer comes out clean
7. Let cool in the tins for 2 minutes then remove from the tins and cool on a wire rack

Step by Step Instructions: Coffee Swiss Meringue Buttercream

The buttercream does take around 45 minutes to make so it’s definitely a good idea to use a stand mixer for it:

1. Put the egg whites and sugar into a heatproof bowl and whisk until combined then put the bowl over a saucepan holding an inch of simmering water – do not let the water touch the bottom of the bowl. Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 71C/ 160F on a food thermometer
2. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl of a stand-mixer and whisk on medium-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled – it should no longer feel warm to the touch – aim for around 25C/ 77F
3. Continue to whisk the meringue whilst slowly adding cubes of butter one at a time. Mix until smooth
4. Add the remaining coffee, a teaspoon at a time until you are happy with the colour and flavour of the buttercream
5. Use to sandwich the cake layers together, then cover the sides of the cake and use the leftovers to pipe a design on top as desired

Expert Tips

• Please use digital scales for this recipe as they are so much more accurate than the cup system. Cups are notoriously inaccurate because they can vary in size. Furthermore, one person’s method of filling a cup can be quite different to another person’s
• Regardless of whether your tins claim to be non-stick always grease them and use a circle of baking parchment to line the bases. These 2 steps help ensure the cakes never get stuck in the pan
• Preheat the oven and prepare the baking tins before baking commences. This way the cake batter can go into the oven as soon as it is mixed and the raising agent (baking powder) is activated. You’ll get the best rise this way
• Let the cakes rest in their baking tins for 2 minutes once they are taken out of the oven. They will shrink slightly, pulling away from the edge of the tin. This helps get them out of the tins more easily
• Don’t under-estimate the time it takes to make the buttercream. Allow at least 45 minutes and up to 1 hour (but it’s ok, the stand mixer does the hard work)
• Depending on the brand of coffee used, the coffee Swiss meringue buttercream may discolour if stored at room temperature. However, it’s still safe to eat and the flavour remains unaffected
• To avoid the problem of discoloured buttercream simply prepare the buttercream as close to serving time as possible (within 2-3 hours). Alternatively, refrigerate the cake once iced and bring back to room temperature (approx 2 hours) before serving
• If you are not able to keep your cake refrigerated or served within 2-3 hours, consider using an alternative frosting. Try coffee caramel from The Flavor Bender or latte buttercream from Coffee With Us 3

Frequently Asked Questions

More Layer Cakes to Try

If you have tried this coffee sponge cake recipe, please give it a rating or comment. I love to hear how you get along with my creations.

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