Coffee Cake · Cream Cheese Frosting · Hero Sponge
The Coffee Cake That Converted Me
This is my favourite quick and easy coffee cake recipe: fabulously moist, full of flavour and finished with a coffee cream cheese frosting that is, frankly, dangerous to have near a spoon.
It is one of the flavour variations from our Hero Sponge Recipe download, and I must admit, I am a latecomer to the coffee cake party. I used to dismiss it as a cake for bridge club afternoons until I tried it again with cream cheese frosting.
I was wrong. Horribly wrong. Happily wrong.
The best coffee cake is moist, gently bitter, properly balanced and paired with a frosting that brings tang as well as sweetness. This version uses our Hero Sponge coffee variation with a coffee cream cheese frosting and walnuts for crunch.
I wonder if this is a coming-of-age thing and I am now a fully-fledged adult who cannot play bridge to save my life, despite my dad being Kuwait’s bridge champion. True story, and sadly not something that has travelled down the gene pool.
The only thing I would be winning at bridge club is this insanely good coffee cake with coffee cream cheese frosting and walnuts.
The coffee in this tall layer cake is subtle but very present. It balances the sweetness of the sponge rather than shouting over it. And the frosting is the real plot twist: tangy, creamy, coffee-laced and just the right consistency for piping.
Walnuts are a classic pairing with coffee cake and add texture, but they are not compulsory. If you are not a nut person, leave them out. If you are baking for somebody with a nut allergy, omit them completely and check the labels and cross-contact information for every ingredient used.
Making The Coffee Sponges
Follow the coffee variation from our Hero Sponge Recipe download. It yields three 6 inch sponge layers.
You can leave the sponges as three deep layers, or, if you want to go full mile-high glory, split each sponge into two even layers once cooled. A cake leveller is best for this unless you have the steady hand of a surgeon and the confidence of someone who has never ruined a cake at 11pm.
Let the sponges cool completely before torting. Warm sponge is fragile, crumbly and deeply committed to making your life harder.
Coffee Cream Cheese Frosting
This frosting is the reason the cake works so beautifully. Coffee cake can sometimes feel a little old-fashioned, but coffee cream cheese frosting gives it a tangy, grown-up edge and a softer, more indulgent finish.
Ingredients
- 125g butter, at room temperature
- 300g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water
- 80g full-fat cream cheese, kept chilled until needed
Use strong instant coffee for the frosting. You want flavour, not a polite suggestion of coffee whispered from another room.
Decorating Your Coffee Cake
For decoration, keep it classic. Coffee cake does not need to be attacked with every sprinkle in the cupboard. The sponge, frosting and walnuts already have plenty to say.
Ingredients
- Halved walnuts for the top, only where suitable for everyone being served
- Chopped walnuts for texture and decoration, optional
- Extra coffee cream cheese frosting for piping
Ta-daaa. Look at those lovely layer-upon-layer levels of deliciousness. I hope you love this cake. Actually, I know you will. Even if you think you hate coffee cake, this version may make you reconsider your entire personality.
Variations To Try
If you are feeling adventurous, coffee sponge is a brilliant base for other flavours. It loves nuts, chocolate and caramel.
- Mocha version: Fold chocolate chips through a recipe designed for the addition, or use a tested chocolate-coffee variation.
- Caramel macchiato twist: Add a caramel drizzle between layers or over the top.
- Nutty depth: Add hazelnut or almond extract, or swap walnuts for toasted hazelnuts only where nuts are safe for everyone being served.
- Extra coffee hit: Brush the sponge layers lightly with a coffee syrup before filling.
How To Store And Serve Coffee Cake
Because this cake is filled and covered with cream cheese frosting, keep the assembled cake covered in the refrigerator. Do not store a cream-cheese-frosted cake at room temperature overnight.
For the best texture, bring the cake or individual slices towards cool room temperature shortly before serving, then return leftovers to the refrigerator promptly. Keep the cake covered so exposed sponge does not dry out. For more detail, read our complete cake storage guide.
Cold sponge and butter-based components taste firmer and less aromatic. Letting a chilled slice soften briefly before eating improves texture without turning cream-cheese storage into a room-temperature rule.
Serve as it is with tea or coffee, or dress it up with berries or a caramel drizzle. For a special occasion, you can turn it into a taller layer cake, or simply order our coffee and walnut cake and skip the washing up.
Prefer to order rather than bake? Explore our coffee cakes to order for birthdays and celebrations in London & Surrey.
\nCoffee Cake For Special Occasions
Coffee cake is wonderfully versatile. It can be rustic, elegant, nostalgic or dressed up for a proper celebration.
For a relaxed look, make a naked cake with layers of coffee sponge and coffee cream cheese frosting, then add chopped walnuts only where appropriate and food-safe decorations suited to the cake.
Coffee Cake FAQs
Can I freeze coffee cake?
Plain, fully cooled sponge layers can be wrapped tightly and frozen. For the assembled cream-cheese-frosted cake, follow a tested recipe's freezing and thawing guidance rather than assuming every decoration and filling freezes identically.
How long will coffee cake stay fresh?
For this cream-cheese-frosted version, keep the cake refrigerated and eat it within the storage period appropriate to the ingredients you used. Bring only the portion you are serving towards cool room temperature, then refrigerate leftovers promptly.
Can I substitute ingredients in coffee cake?
Substitutions can change hydration, structure and rise. For raising agents, gluten-free flour, dairy-free alternatives or egg-free baking, use a recipe tested for the substitution rather than relying on a universal one-for-one swap.
Can I make coffee cake without eggs?
Yes, but use a recipe developed for that purpose. Our Vegan Hero Sponge Recipe is a better starting point than trying to remove eggs from a standard sponge recipe and hoping for the best.
How can I make coffee cake more moist?
You should not need to with our Hero Sponge recipe. If you use another formula, follow that recipe's guidance rather than adding unmeasured liquid to an already balanced batter.
Can I use instant coffee in coffee cake?
Yes, when the recipe is formulated for it. If substituting brewed espresso, account for the extra liquid rather than simply adding it on top of the recipe.
Use our Hero Sponge Recipe for the coffee sponge variation, or order the finished coffee cake if you would rather eat cake than level it.
If you make this cake, please share your thoughts in the comments and tag me on Instagram at @angesdesucre. I love seeing your cakes, especially the triumphant ones, the chaotic ones and the ones that clearly had a bit of a journey.
Thank you so much I can’t wait to start baking😀
Is the oven temp for conventional or fan oven? Thanks