Add your favorite vanilla cafe latte beverage to a cake batter and make this cafe latte cake. And, to enhance the coffee flavor, even more, frost it with coffee buttercream. This cake is a coffee lovers' cake. It uses a light and airy vanilla-based cake that is simple and easy to make. The cake takes only 25 minutes to bake, and the coffee frosting takes as little as five minutes to whip. Layer cakes don't get easier than that.
Table of Content
I made a total of six coffee-flavored desserts this week. There was mocha chocolate mousse, cafe latte tart, chocolate fudge brownie. Also, a three-tier bat mitzvah cake. And, all three tiers were coffee flavored - one was my Kahlua chiffon cake, espresso cake, and this cafe latte cake. As a result, the cake was so pretty and the flavors were so delicious.
I love the smell of coffee and adore anything coffee-flavored. And, it is a known fact that coffee and chocolate go well together. And yet, do you know that vanilla and coffee is even better? In fact, I do like adding the flavor of beverages to my layer cakes like my Chai Latte Cake, Earl Grey cake with IMBC, Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake with Maple Buttercream. Do you?
Why make this cake
- This is a light and airy vanilla butter-based cake with coffee and some spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- And, the coffee buttercream is highly recommended because it compliments and enhances the coffee flavor in the cake.
- Most of the ingredients in this recipe are simple pantry staples.
- Today, I am making a chai spiced layer cake but you can also bake this cake batter in a bundt pan, loaf pan, or square cake pan to make a chai spice tea cake.
Timeline and process
- Cake batter - 20 minutes
- Bake cake - 20 to 25 minutes
- Buttercream frosting - 15 minutes
- Cooling the cake - 2 to 4 hours
- Frost the cake - 40 mins
Ingredients and substitutes
- All-purpose flour - Yes, regular all-purpose flour works great. No need to look for anything else. And, if you have only self-raising flour on hand use it, but reduce the baking powder by half.
- Unsalted butter - I always use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt in the recipe. And yet, if salted butter is all you have, use it and omit salt in the recipe.
- Sugar - I'm using white sugar but a combination of brown and white works just as well.
- Spices - A combination of cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon are a great combination with coffee. Always use freshly grated nutmeg because the flavor is best when fresh.
- Coffee - I'm using local strong coffee grounds. I highly recommend using a coffee you enjoy drinking. And, use one that dissolves completely in the milk. For example, Turkish coffee leaves a residue behind which I personally do not appreciate.
Cafe Latte Cake
Prepare cake
- Preheat the oven to 170 C/ 340 F.
- Grease and line 3 x 6-inch round cake pans or 2 x 7-inch round cake pans
- Coffee - Combine the coffee and milk and set aside to cool completely.
- Dry ingredients - In a bowl, combine the flour with baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt - set aside.
- Wet ingredients - In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.
- Combine - Then, add the flour mixture and the coffee mixture in three additions. Combine well but do not overmix.
- Bake - Divide the batter equally between the prepared baking pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean.
Pro tip - I like to use cake strips to ensure my layer cakes bake flat. - Cool - Once baked cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes. Then, invert and cool on a wire rack completely before you decorate.
Coffee Buttercream
- Coffee - Add coffee and vanilla extract to the cold cream. Strain if necessary - set aside
- Cream - In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time Followed by the heavy cream and coffee.
- Whip - Continue to whip until you have a light and fluffy buttercream. The cream in the mixture will whip and give you almost stiff peaks.
Pro tip- If the buttercream is too soft, you haven't whipped enough. However, If the butter is melting chill the bowl for 10 minutes then whip again. (this can happen in warmer temperatures)
Assemble
- Prepare simple syrup - cool completely before using.
Pro tip- Simple syrup is just sugar water that has been boiled and cooled. Used to keep cake layers moist. - Level - Using a bread knife or cake leveler cut the domes off the cake layers. Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup
- Stack - Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand. Top with a big dollop of buttercream - spread evenly using a straight-edge spatula. Then top the second cake layer on top followed by more buttercream and the last layer.
- Chill - Place the cake in the fridge to chill for 10 to 15 minutes.
Pro tip - Chilling the cake at this point will ensure the layers don't move when you frost the outside. Though, if you leave the cake uncovered in the fridge for too long it can dry out. So, 10 minutes is all you need. - Frost - Spread the remaining buttercream around and on top of the cake. Create a rustic buttercream look by simply swirling the tip of the spatula around the cake.
Pro tip - A straight-edge spatula for the top, an off-set spatula, and a bench scraper for the sides work better. - Rustic finish - Create a rustic buttercream look by simply swirling the tip of the spatula vertically around the cake. Pipe any remaining frosting as a border around the top and bottom of the cake.
- Storage - Once decorated the cake does not need to be refrigerated. It can stay at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Tips for Success
- Use fine-grain sugar when preparing cake batters so it creams and dissolves easily.
- Make sure the spices used are fresh. Spices kept for too long lose flavor.
- Use good quality unsalted butter for baking so you can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Grease and line the pans with parchment for easy release.
- Keep cakes moist by brushing the layers with simple syrup - simple syrup is a mixture of sugar and water boiled until the sugar is dissolved.
- Cool the cakes for a few hours before frosting or the frosting will melt on warm cakes.
- Use cake strips to bake flat cakes.
More layer cakes
How long will this cake keep?
If stored properly, this cafe latte cake will keep for 2 to 3 days at room temperature. It can also be kept in the fridge for up to 5 or 6 days.
Can I make this a moist eggless cafe latte cake?
No, but you can use my Eggless Vanilla Cake or Eggless Chocolate Cake. And, add some coffee to make it a cafe late cake.
Can I use brown sugar instead of white in this cake?
Yes, you can use brown sugar, but the color of the cake will be a deeper caramel color.
What other pans can I use for this cake?
If you don't want to make a layer cake like this, you can make this into a sheet cake - a 'cafe latte sheet cake'.
And, you can also pour the batter into a well-greased and dusted bundt pan for a 'cafe bundt cake'.
This recipe can also be baked into 24 beautiful cafe latte cupcakes.
Printable Recipe
Vanilla Cafe Latte Cake with Coffee Buttercream
Print Pin Rate Share by Email Share on FB Save GrowCalories: 342kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 12 servings
Description
Add your favorite vanilla cafe latte beverage to cake and make this cafe latte cake. And to enhance the coffee flavor, even more, frost it with coffee buttercream. This cake is a coffee lovers cake using light and airy vanilla based cake that simple and easy to make. The cake takes only 35 minutes to bake, and the coffee frosting takes as little as five minutes to whip. Layer cakes don't get easier than that. Do they?
Video
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 ½ cup (310 g) All-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- ¼ tsp ( ) Ground cardamom (optional)
- ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg (fresh grated)
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- 8 oz (226 g) Unsalted butter ((2 sticks, 1 cup), room temperature)
- 1 cup (200 g) White sugar
- 3 large Eggs
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ cup Brewed coffee (or espresso )
- ½ cup (240 ml) Milk
Coffee Buttercream
- 8 oz (228 grams) Unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 3 cups (360 g) Powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Heavy cream
- 1 tbsp Instant coffee or Espresso (ground)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Extra
- ½ cup (120 ml) Simple syrup
Instructions
Prepare cake
- Preheat the oven to 170 C/ 340 F.
- Grease and line 3 x 6-inch round cake pans or 2 x 7-inch round cake pans
- Coffee - Combine the coffee and milk and set aside to cool completely.½ cup Brewed coffee, ½ cup Milk
- Dry ingredients - In a bowl, combine the flour with baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt - set aside.2 ½ cup All-purpose flour , 2 teaspoon Baking powder, ½ tsp Baking soda, ¼ tsp Ground cardamom, ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- Wet ingredients - In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.8 oz Unsalted butter, 1 cup White sugar, 3 large Eggs, 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Combine - Then, add the flour mixture and the coffee mixture in three additions. Combine well but do not overmix.
- Bake - Divide the batter equally between the prepared baking pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean.Pro tip - I like to use cake strips to ensure my layer cakes bake flat.
- Cool - Once baked cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes. Then, invert and cool on a wire rack completely before you decorate.
Coffee Buttercream
- Coffee - Add coffee and vanilla extract to the cold cream. Strain if necessary - set aside8 oz Unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Cream - In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time Followed by the heavy cream and coffee.3 cups Powdered sugar, ¼ cup Heavy cream, 1 tablespoon Instant coffee or Espresso, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Whip - Continue to whip until you have a light and fluffy buttercream. The cream in the mixture will whip and give you almost stiff peaks.Pro tip- If the buttercream is too soft, you haven't whipped enough. However, If the butter is melting chill the bowl for 10 minutes then whip again. (this can happen in warmer temperatures)
Assemble
- Prepare simple syrup - cool completely before using.Pro tip- Simple syrup is just sugar water that has been boiled and cooled. Used to keep cake layers moist.½ cup Simple syrup
- Level - Using a bread knife or cake leveler cut the domes off the cake layers. Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup
- Stack - Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand. Top with a big dollop of buttercream - spread evenly using a straight-edge spatula. Then top the second cake layer on top followed by more buttercream and the last layer.
- Chill - Place the cake in the fridge to chill for 10 to 15 minutes. Pro tip - Chilling the cake at this point will ensure the layers don't move when you frost the outside. Though, if you leave the cake uncovered in the fridge for too long it can dry out. So, 10 minutes is all you need.
- Frost - Spread the remaining buttercream around and on top of the cake. Create a rustic buttercream look by simply swirling the tip of the spatula around the cake.Pro tip - A straight-edge spatula for the top, an off-set spatula, and a bench scraper for the sides work better.
- Rustic finish - Create a rustic buttercream look by simply swirling the tip of the spatula vertically around the cake. Pipe any remaining frosting as a border around the top and bottom of the cake.
- Storage - Once decorated the cake does not need to be refrigerated. It can stay at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Use fine-grain sugar when preparing cake batters so it creams and dissolves easily.
- Make sure the spices used are fresh. Spices kept for too long lose flavor.
- Use good quality unsalted butter for baking so you can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Grease and line the pans with parchment for easy release.
- Keep cakes moist by brushing the layers with simple syrup - simple syrup is a mixture of sugar and water boiled until the sugar is dissolved.
- Cool the cakes for a few hours before frosting or the frosting will melt on warm cakes.
- Use cake strips to bake flat cakes.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 342- kcalCarbohydrates: 43- gProtein: 4- gFat: 17- gSaturated Fat: 10- gCholesterol: 82- mgSodium: 123- mgPotassium: 169- mgFiber: 0- gSugar: 22- gVitamin A: 550- IUCalcium: 74- mgIron: 1.6- mg
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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Marsy
Too dense for my taste. Came out as more of a muffin texture rather than cake
Veena Azmanov
On the contrary, Marsy. This is a very light and airy cake. In fact, I just made the batter last week for a bundt pan. We loved it. Make sure not to over mix the batter.
Elsa
Hi
What's the amount of nutmeg to be added?.not able to find it in the recipe.
And will it be ok to add all 3 spices ?
Also is it ok to add just cardamom and nutmeg leaving cinnamon out?
Thank you
Veena Azmanov
Hey Else, Just a sprinkle of nutmeg would be ok (about 1/4 tsp)
You can definitely customize the spices to suit your requirements. After all, you will be the one enjoying it.
Susannah
I was hoping to make this cake a few days in advance. Do you think it would freeze well?
Veena Azmanov
Yes, Susannah. This cake freezes well. Make sure to wrap well in plastic before freezing.
Seema
Week 2 day 5 done