This is the cake for coffee lovers! A moist and tender cake filled with brown sugar-espresso swirls, topped with an espresso crumble, and finished with a coffee glaze. This delightful treat gives new meaning to the the term “coffee cake”.
There is coffee in every single layer of this cake, giving it a sweet and bold coffee flavor that is incredible! Love coffee flavored desserts? Try our espresso chocolate chip cookies and coffee brownies as well.
This cake is
Packed with coffee flavor: This recipes uses both espresso powder and/or brewed coffee in every layer.
Piled high with crumb topping: This cake is heavy on the crumb and brown sugar swirls. There’s almost as much cake as crumb topping.
Perfect any time of day: This cake can be served with coffee for breakfast, it’s great as a midday treat, or as dessert.
Recipe overview: 4 parts
Cake: The base of the recipe is a soft and moist sour cream coffee cake that is flavored with vanilla and coffee.
Swirls: A mixture of brown sugar and espresso powder gets swirled into the cake batter.
Crumb topping: A buttery cinnamon-espresso crumble gets sprinkled over the top of the cake.
Icing: After baking and cooling the cake gets covered in a sweet and bold coffee glaze.
Ingredient spotlight: espresso powder
This recipe calls for espresso powder or instant espresso. Espresso powder/instant espresso is finely ground coffee crystals that have a strong and concentrated coffee flavor. This ingredient is sold in most well stocked grocery stores near the coffee or on the baking aisle. I often use this brand (affiliate link).
Serving and storage
Serve this cake warm or at room temperature. I like to heat individual slices in the microwave right before serving.
Store, tightly covered, at room temperature for up 2 days, refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freezer for up to 3 months.
A quick note
I know this ingredient list looks long. Quite a few of the same ingredients are used in different components of the recipe, so it really isn’t that many different ingredients. 👍🏼
More cake recipes
Recipe
Espresso Crumb Cake
Ingredients
Crumb topping:
- ½ cup (63g) all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (56g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons espresso powder, see note
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
Swirl:
- ⅓ cup (70g) brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
Cake:
- 1⅔ cups (215g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (162g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (80g) sour cream
- ½ cup (110g) brewed black coffee, room temperature
Glaze:
- 1¼ cups (145g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons brewed black coffee or milk
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder, or more, to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
Crumb topping:
- Combine flour, sugars, cinnamon, espresso powder, and a pinch of salt. Add cubed butter and work it in with your fingers (or a pastry blender) until the butter is in pea-sized pieces and the mixture holds together if you squeeze it in your hand. Transfer to the fridge while you prepare the cake.
Swirl:
- Combine brown sugar and espresso powder. Set aside.
Cake:
- Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment. beat butter and sugar until smooth and combined. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla and sour cream. If the mixture looks a bit curdled that's ok. Add half the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Add the coffee, beating until combined, followed by the remaining flour.
- Grease an 8×8 baking pan (preferably metal). Pour half the batter into the pan and spread into an even layer (it might seem thin, but it should cover the bottom). Sprinkle the brown sugar-espresso mixture evenly over the top. Add the remaining batter, I dollop it around and then gently spread it. Drag the tip of a sharp knife through the batter in a figure-eight to swirl in the brown sugar-espresso. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the cake batter.
- Bake for 33-37 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. be careful not to overbake. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
Glaze:
- Whisk together all ingredients. Adjust the consistency by adding more powdered sugar to thicken or more liquid to thin. Feel free to add more espresso powder or vanilla, to taste. Drizzle over the cooled cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
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