Coffee-Flavored Coffee Cake (Not Redundant at All)

From my personal recipe archives. My recipe for coffee-flavored coffee cake (adapted from a classic streusel coffee cake recipe):

I chose this recipe to adapt a few months ago because (a) D likes streusel and the cake was for him, so there you go, (b) a coffee cake should really be made with sour cream to give it richness and body. I made it in a bundt pan because honestly, it’s makes a more attractive cake.

Set oven to 350 degrees.

Spray your bundt pan (I like a good bundt pan) with non-stick cooking spray or rub with butter or oil.

Topping ingredients:

  • 1/4 C butter, melted
  • 2/3 C flour
  • 1/4 C roasted (unsalted, or you can toast your own raw) almonds, chopped medium-coarseness
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt

In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients together; then add the butter and give it a stir. Set aside.

Filling ingredients:

  • 1 C roasted (unsalted, or you can toast your own raw) almonds – chopped medium-coarseness
  • 3 Tbsp sugar
  • 3 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp cocoa powder

In a small bowl, mix these ingredients together. Set aside.

Cake ingredents:

  • 2 1/2 C flour plus 2 Tbsp, sifted
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 C butter, softened
  • 1 C sugar
  • 1/4 C instant coffee or espresso-ground coffee
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 C sour cream

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter until it turns pale and add the sugar and continue to cream them together. Add in the eggs in one at a time and the vanilla. Combine 1/4 of the dry mix into the butter mix and beat until combined. Add 1/4 of the sour cream and beat until combined. Alternate dry mix and sour cream until everything is combined.

Put in a layer of cake mix into your bundt pan (about 2-3 cups) and spread out evenly. Add a layer of filling. Alternate cake mix and filling. Final layer should be cake mix. Then top with topping mixture. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes (or until toothpick comes out cleanly).

Other notes:

  • I used the really rich, organic sour cream from my local store for extra creaminess. I promise you, you can see the difference just looking at the stuff being beaten into your cake batter.
  • I used espresso grounds, which are very finely ground and therefore okay for baking, but if you don’t have that, instant coffee’s your safest bet.
  • I’m on an almond kick, so I used those, but pecans or walnuts also bake well.
  • I cut the sugar down in the cake mix, because I wanted the coffee to take center stage, but you could add up to 2/3 cups of sugar if you prefer sweet.
  • You could skip the topping and instead make a coffee-based glaze to drizzle on top. I bet that’d be a good option too.

The end cake should be very moist on the inside, have a nice crust with good structure and a golden brown color. It should have risen to just about the top of the pan. After taste-testing, I have to say it’s pretty tasty and coffee-flavored, while not too sweet.

As usual, let me know how it goes if you try the recipe!

Update: Because of the website reformat, I’ve lost some of the photos on the site including the ones that used to be above.