Triple Layer Coffee Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

5 from 8 votes

Triple Layer Coffee Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Three degrees of coffee make up the layers in this eye-catching Triple Coffee Layer Cake. Based around the Latte, Mocha and Americano drinks and topped with smooth and silky Swiss Meringue Buttercream, this cake is sure to please lovers of coffee.

Prep Time1 hr 40 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time2 hrs 10 mins

Course: Baking

Cuisine: Worldwide

Servings:

Calories: 783kcal

Author: Jane Saunders

Ingredients

Use 3 x 6-inch cake pans for this recipe - see notes on how to scale up for 8-inch pans

For the Coffee Cake

180 g/ 6 1/2oz Butter - softened
180 g/ 6 1/2oz Caster sugar
3 Eggs - large, free range
180 g/ 6 1/2oz Plain (all purpose) flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
3 tbsp Instant coffee granules dissolved in 3 tbsp just boiled water - cooled (I used Gold Blend)
1 tbsp Cocoa powder
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream

6 Egg whites (large, free range)
400 g/ 2 cups White sugar (caster or granulated)
450 g/ 2 cups Butter - softened

Instructions

Make the Coffee Cake Layers

Preheat the (fan) oven to 170°/ 325°F/ GM3
Grease and line 3 x 6-inch circular baking tins (note these are smaller than average tins - if you are using 8-inch tins see my notes on how to scale up the recipe)
In a bowl beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, using electric beaters.
Crack the eggs into a small jug and beat. Add 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)
Stir the flour and baking powder together in a bowl and sieve over the cake batter. Mix in
Divide the cake batter equally into 3 small mixing bowls (digital scales help here)
To the first bowl stir in 1 1/2 tsp of the cooled coffee and the vanilla extract
To the next bowl add the cocoa powder (sieved) and 2 tsp of the cooled coffee. Stir until just mixed in
To the final bowl add 1 tbsp cooled coffee and mix in
Store the leftover coffee for the buttercream
Pour the cake batters into the prepared tins and bake for 20-23 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly pressed or a skewer comes out clean
Let cool in the tins for 2 minutes, then remove from the tins, peel off the baking parchment from the bottom of each sponge cake and let cool completely on a wire rack

Make the Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Put the egg whites and sugar into a heatproof bowl and whisk until combined
Put the bowl over a pot with 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
Pour the egg mixture into the bowl of a stand-mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled - it should no longer feel warm to the touch - aim for around 25C/ 77F
Cube the butter. Continue to whisk the meringue whilst slowly adding the butter cubes one at a time. Mix until smooth
Add the remaining coffee, a tsp at a time until you are happy with the colour and flavour of the buttercream
If not assembling the cake straight away, store the buttercream in the fridge (covered) until ready to use. Bring back to room temperature and re-whip. At first, the buttercream will split but after a few minutes, the silky smooth texture will return

Assembling the Cake

There is no right or wrong for the order of the layers. Pick the one you want to be on the bottom and lay it on a cake stand or serving plate
Spread a generous tablespoon of buttercream over the top of the cake then lay another layer of cake neatly on top
Again, spread a generous tablespoon of buttercream over the top of this layer and then lay the final cake on top
Reserve 1/3 of the remaining buttercream for piping decorations on top then smooth the rest of the buttercream over the top and sides of the cake
Pipe a few pretty shapes on the top and sides of the cake as you see fit. Scatter a little grated chocolate over the cake if desired
Serve within a few hours or store in the fridge, returning to room temperature before serving (approx 2 hours)

Notes

This recipe is sufficient for 3 sponge cakes baked in 6-inch tins. Do not try stretching the recipe to fill 8-inch tins - the layers will be too thin.
Ideally, scaling up to a 5 egg recipe is required for 3 layers of 8-inch cakes. However, that gives some fiddly measurements, so I suggest simply doubling the recipe, filling your cake tins 2/3 full and using any surplus cake batter to make a few cupcakes.
As for the buttercream, you will not need to double this. Instead, go for 9 egg whites/ 600g sugar / 675g butter
There is a risk that the buttercream will darken and/ or discolour if left at room temperature. Either frost your cake just 2-3 hours prior to serving or store in the fridge and bring back to room temperature before serving. Alternatively, use a different frosting completely (see my suggestions in my blog post).

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