Perfect for breakfast or with a warm cup of coffee, this Coffee Loaf Cake topped with a Coffee Glaze is packed with flavours and aromas. The light and moist espresso cake is super quick and easy to make in one bowl only and will stay fresh for a few days!
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Why we love this recipe
If you are an avid coffee lover like me, you know that there is nothing better than coffee flavoured baked goods to go with your morning and afternoon coffee. Or on its own - because you simply cannot get enough coffee in a day!
Coffee is a great ingredient that can be used in many ways in baking to flavour your pastries and desserts like these little Coffee Financiers, creamy Coffee Choux Buns, light Coffee Mousse Cups or even a decadent Mocha Cream Pie. But I must admit, added into a loaf cake is probably one of my favourite way to use it!
This Mocha Loaf Cake is simply made with Instant Coffee Powder and topped with an intense and sweet Espresso Glaze. It is such a light, moist and absolutely delicious cake that is also super easy to make in one bowl only and will be ready to eat in less than an hour.
Perfect for breakfast, morning and afternoon tea, this cappuccino loaf cake is also great as a sweet snack or dessert!
Ingredients
This Espresso Loaf is made from 7 simple ingredients only:
- Self-Rising Flour: the easiest type of flour to use as it does not require to add any extra baking powder or soda. See FAQs below if you want to use Plain / AP Flour instead.
- Butter: Unsalted and Melted. It is important for the melted butter to be back at room temperature before being added to the batter.
- Eggs: medium size, at room temperature
- Coffee: a simple mix of Boiling Water and Instant Coffee Powder (or Instant Coffee Granules) - although you could use an Espresso Shot straight from your coffee machine as well if preferred (see FAQ below).
- Vanilla: Extract or Essence. Always a simple way to boost the flavour of your cakes!
- Brown Sugar: I personally prefer to use Brown Sugar instead of White Sugar to go with Coffee as I find that the light molasses flavour of brown sugar really complements coffee well!
- Cream: Heavy / Thickened Cream - preferably at room temperature.
For an even more intense coffee flavour, you could also add some Coffee Extract/Essence in the cake batter if you want!
For the Coffee Glaze, you will simply need:
- Icing Sugar: or Powdered Sugar. It is important to sift it first so that you don't get lumps inside the glaze
- Coffee: again, a mix of boiling water and instant coffee powder - or an espresso from the machine.
Alternatively, you could also finish the coffee loaf cake with a simple Chocolate Ganache instead of the glaze!
How to make a Coffee Flavoured Cake
This coffee cake is super easy to prepare; all you need is one bowl and a whisk! I made mine using my Stand Mixer but you could absolutely make it by hands as well. The eggs and sugar need to be whisked for quite a few minutes though so be ready for a workout if making it by hands.
- Preheat your oven on 180'C/350'F. Lightly grease a 25 cm / 10 inch Loaf Pan, then dust it with flour to coat it. Flip the pan upside down and tap it against a hard surface to remove any excess flour.
- Prepare all the ingredients: melt the butter and set aside to cool down. Prepare the coffee with the boiling water and set aside to cool down as well.
- Photo 1 & 2: Place the Eggs and Brown Sugar in the bowl of your mixer and whisk on medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until foamy and doubled in size.
- Photo 3 & 4: Add the Melted Butter, Coffee, Heavy / Thickened Cream and Vanilla Extract (plus Coffee Extract/Essence if using some). Mix all the wet ingredients on low speed until combined.
It is important to let the hot ingredients (melted butter and coffee) cool down before adding them to the bowl or they might cook the eggs.
Also make sure to slowly mix in all the wet ingredients as you don't want to deflate the air added while whisking the eggs and sugar.
- Photo 5: Sift in the Self-Rising Flour (or combination of Plain / AP Flour, Baking Powder and Salt - see FAQ below for substitution ratio).
- Photo 6: Slowly mix in the dry ingredients just until combined. Make sure not to overwork the batter.
- Photo 7: Pour the batter into the greased and floured loaf pan.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the tip of a knife or skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool down completely before removing from the pan.
- Once cool, prepare the Coffee Glaze by mixing the sifted Icing Sugar with the Coffee Shot. Place the Coffee Loaf Cake on a cooling rack over a cooking tray (to catch any excess glaze dripping) and pour the Glaze over it. Gather any excess and pour it over the cake again until all the glaze is coating the cake.
Tips to make this recipe
- Make sure to grease AND flour the loaf pan before starting. This is the best way to insure that the cake comes out of the pan easily without sticking to it. If the cake still stick to the pan, run a small pairing knife along its sides.
- Prepare any hot ingredients first so that they have time to cool down: melt the butter in the microwave (or on the stove) and prepare the coffee with boiling water. If added to the batter while still very hot, they might cook the eggs which would create a grainy texture.
- After whisking the eggs and sugar, mix in all the other ingredients very slowly so that you don't pop all the air bubbles added during the first step.
- To create a perfect 'crack' in the centre of the loaf cake, take it out of the oven after 10 minutes of baking and slash it with a sharp knife.
- Make sure that the coffee bread is cool before adding the glaze: the combination of a cool cake and warm glaze will make the glaze stick to the cake instantly. If you pour the glaze over the warm or hot cake, it will drip straight over.
- Any excess of coffee glaze can be poured over the cake again, or brushed on with a pastry brush.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely, simply replace the Plain/AP Flour by the same quantity of Self-Rising Flour and add 1 1/2 teaspoon of Baking Powder and a pinch of Salt.
Yes, you can use a shot of espresso coming straight from your coffee machine instead of using instant coffee and boiling water. There is one shot of coffee (30 ml / 2 tablespoons) used inside the loaf cake.
Make sure to still measure the shot quantity to use the right quantity though, as different coffee machines might produce slightly different quantities.
I highly recommend adding the glaze as it adds a LOT of coffee flavour, as well as some sweetness to the dessert. It also provides a really nice shine to the cake!
Storing & Freezing
This cake will stay fresh for up to 3 days and can be kept at room temperature in an air-tight container or well covered with wrap or foil.
You can also freeze it, either whole or in individual slices, but I recommend freezing it without the glaze. Make sure to separate individual slices with baking paper so that they don't stick to each other.
Leave to thaw at room temperature overnight when ready to eat, then finish with the coffee glaze just before serving. Individual slices can also be toasted!
More Loaf Cakes
- Chocolate and Vanilla Marble Loaf Cake
- Easy Lemon Drizzle Cake
- Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
- Apple Loaf Cake with Applesauce
- Easy Carrot Loaf Cake with Pecans
- Chocolate Loaf Cake with Whipped Ganache
- Lemon and Poppy Seed Loaf
- One Bowl Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
Made this recipe? Let us know if you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below! And don't forget to share your creation on Instagram with the hashtag #abakingjourney and tag @a.baking.journey
Recipe
Coffee Loaf Cake
Ingredients
Coffee Loaf
- 120 gr (1/2 cup - 1 stick) Unsalted Butter
- 15 gr (3 tablesp.) Instant Coffee - powder or granules
- 30 ml (2 tablesp.) Boiling Water
- 3 Eggs
- 80 gr (1/3 cup + 1 tablesp.) Brown Sugar
- 90 ml (1/3 cup) Heavy / Thickened Cream
- 1 1/2 teasp. Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 teasp. Coffee Extract / Essence - optional
- 200 gr (1 1/3 cup) Self-Rising Flour - (*)
Coffee Glaze
- 5 gr (1 tablesp.) Instant Coffee - powder or granules
- 30 ml (2 tablesp.) Boiling Water
- 25 gr (1/4 cup) Icing Sugar
Instructions
Coffee Loaf Cake
- Preheat your oven on 180'C/350'F. Grease and Flour the Loaf Pan (see note 1).
- Melt the Butter in the microwave or on the stove and set aside to cool down. Prepare the Coffee by mixing the Boiling Water and Instant Coffee and set aside to cool down (see note 2).
- In the bowl of your mixer, whisk together the Eggs and Brown Sugar for about 5 minutes on medium speed, or until foamy and doubled in size.
- Add the Melted Butter, Coffee, Cream and Vanilla Extract (plus the Coffee Extract if using some). Whisk it in on low speed until combined.
- Sift in the Self-Rising Flour and very slowly whisk it in until all combined. Scrap the edges of the bowl with a spatula to incorporate all the flour if needed. Stop as soon as you can't see any flour to avoid overworking the batter.
- Pour into the Loaf Pan and Bake 35 to 45 minutes, or until the tip of a knife or skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool down completely before removing from the pan.
Coffee Glaze
- Prepare the coffee by combining the boiling water and instant coffee. In a small bowl, whisk together the Sifted Icing Sugar and the Coffee until no lumps remain.
- Place the Loaf Cake on a cooling rack over a tray or large baking dish (see note 3). Pour the warm glaze over the cool cake. Gather any excess glaze that will have dripped down on the tray and pour it again over the cake (or use a pastry brush) until all the glaze has been used.
Notes
- (*) The Self-Rising Flour can be replaced by the same quantity of Plain / All-Purpose Flour, plus 1 1/2 teasp. Baking Powder and a pinch of Salt.
- The Instant Coffee can be replaced by a shot of Espresso if using a coffee machine. Just make sure to measure it before adding it to the batter to use the same quantity of liquid.
- I used an Oil Spray to grease the pan, the dusted it with Flour. Once it is covered with flour (which should stick to the oil), flip the pan upside down and tap it against a hard surface to remove any excess flour.
- It is important to leave these two ingredients cool down before adding them to the batter, or they might cook the eggs. That would result in a grainy cake texture.
- This is a good way to gather any excess glaze that will drip down from the loaf cake.
