Simply the Best Coffee Cake Recipes

One of the few things every coffee lover would most likely agree on is that there’s really no indulgence quite like an epic piece of coffee cake. But at the same time, there’s also nothing more frustrating than biting into a seriously disappointing slice.

You only need to carry out a quick web search these days to instantly see just how many so-called ‘best’ coffee cake recipes there are doing the rounds. Quite simply, there are thousands of them! Which in turn means that if you use the usual trial and error approach, you’re guaranteed to run into disappointment along the way.

Instead, we’d highly recommend checking out the following two top-picks, which we can personally guarantee are nothing short of life-changing. But then again, coming from gourmet gurus like these, you’d hardly expect anything less!

Mary Berry’s Cappuccino Coffee Cake Recipe

This simply stunning cappuccino cake is not only decadent and divine, but also surprisingly easy to put together. Even including the icing, there are less than 10 ingredients in the whole thing and it can be thrown together in about an hour.  Which in our experience is pretty much how long it tends to last, once the first person in the vicinity has laid eyes on it!

For the cake

• 225g (8oz) very soft butter, plus more for the tins
• 225g (8oz) light muscovado sugar or caster sugar
• 225g (8oz) self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 large eggs
• 4 level tsp instant coffee, dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water

For the coffee icing

• 175g (6oz) soft butter
• 350g (12oz) icing sugar
• 4 level tsp instant coffee, dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water

Instructions

First of all, preheat your oven to 180° C (Gas 4) and line two 20cm cake tins.

Place all of the ingredients for the cake – apart from the coffee – in a large bowl and combine until smooth and silky. After this, you can add the coffee and once again mix it all again until it is fully combined. Place half of the mixture in each of the cake tins, ensuring the tops are as smooth and even as possible.

Place the tins in the centre of a preheated oven and bake for approximately half an hour, or until the batter has turned a golden brown colour.

After this, you simply need to whip up the icing. Place the sugar and the butter in a mixing bowl and combine until smooth. After this, add the dissolved coffee and split the mixture into four equal parts.

Once the cakes have cooled down, you’ll then need to slice them horizontally in half, so as to create four even layers. Beginning with the bottom layer, spread one of the four portions of icing over the top, add the next layer and continue accordingly.

When you reach the top, feel free to decorate the final layer of icing any way you fancy, throwing a few nuts or maybe some chocolate sprinkles for good measure!

Nigella’s Coffee and Walnut Layer Cake

Well, let’s face it – she’s not the kind of celebrity chef that shies away from decadent delicacies! It may not be particularly low on the calorie front, but one taste of this incredible coffee and walnut cake and you frankly won’t care!

 

For the sponge

• 50g walnut pieces
• 225g caster sugar
• 225g soft unsalted butter
• 200g plain flour
• 4 teaspoons instant espresso powder
• 2½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 4 large eggs
• 1 - 2 tablespoons milk

For the buttercream frosting

• 350g icing sugar
• 175g soft unsalted butter
• 2½ teaspoons instant espresso powder (dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water)
• approx. 10 walnut halves (to decorate)

Instructions

First of all, preheat your oven to 180° C (Gas 4) and line two 20cm cake tins.

Place the walnuts in a blender and blitz until they create a fine powder.

Add the espresso powder, butter, eggs, soda and baking powder and blend again until the batter is smooth and silky.

Begin adding the milk gradually and slowly, taking note of the consistency of the batter as you go. The mixture should be quite soft but not runny, so add more milk as necessary until the consistency is perfect.

Place half of the mixture in each of the cake tins and bake in the centre of the oven for around half an hour, or until golden in colour.

Place all the buttercream ingredients in a blender and process until the mixture is smooth and even. When the cakes have been taken out and cooled, use half of the buttercream in the centre of the cake and the other half on top.

Decorate with walnut halves, or anything else you fancy!

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