As an Italian and avid coffee drinker, discovering that coffee cake doesn’t have any coffee was the equivalent of finding out that Santa Claus isn’t real.
So I put together a coffee cake that is finally worthy of the name; for all the sweet tooths and coffee addicts out there, this is for you.
Ingredients:
Butter: Unsalted regular butter
Sugar: I cut the white sugar in the recipe with light dark sugar to add a more complex flavor profile and increase the cake’s moisture.
Eggs: Whole room temperature eggs.
Buttermilk: Buttermilk helps break down proteins in baked goods. That means every recipe with a splash of buttermilk is just a bit more tender than those that call for regular milk or water.
Coffee: I use espresso (proudly made with my “Moka”) in the batter and instant coffee powder for the topping and swirl.
Tahini paste & halva: I love tahini and everything sesame based. The tahini paste helps keep the cake extra-moist, and the halva adds a nice crunch on the top. I get mine from a Brooklyn-based tahini company called Joyva.
Flour: I only use King Arthur, and I found it to be the more consistent and reliable brand.
Baking powder & baking soda: Some recipes call for both baking powder and baking soda. A little baking soda will neutralize the acid (buttermilk in this case) and produce more carbon dioxide for higher and lighter cake.
Spices: Freshly ground cinnamon and cardamom, a match made in heaven with coffee and tahini.
How to make the tahini coffee cake:
For the coffee swirl:
In a small bowl, mix six tablespoons of light brown sugar, four teaspoons of ground cinnamon, and two tablespoons of instant coffee granules. Set aside.
For the crumb topping:
In another medium-sized bowl, put 160 g of all-purpose flour, 113 g of room temperature unsalted butter, cut into pieces, 100 g light brown sugar, three teaspoons instant coffee, one teaspoon ground cardamom, and 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Mix everything with your hand until a coarse crumb is formed and set aside.
For the cake:
Dry ingredients:
Sift 455 g of all-purpose flour and place in a bowl. Add 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
Wet ingredients:
In another bowl, mix 120 g of buttermilk, 120 g of cold espresso,45 g of tahini, one tablespoon of coffee powder, and one teaspoon of vanilla paste.
Let’s make the cake:
In a mixer bowl, place 150 g of room temperature butter together with 200 g of light brown sugar and 150 g of granulated sugar.
Turn on the mixer and beat the butter mixture until nice and fluffy.
Next, add 70 g of canola oil little by little. After that, add the room temperature eggs one by one, always waiting until the batter has absorbed the previous one.
At this point, turn the mixer to low speed and start to slowly incorporate the dry and wet ingredients (alternating between them) into the batter.
Once you’re done, transfer half of the batter to 9×13 inches greased and lined baking tray. Sprinkle the coffee mixture (from the small bowl) on top and add the rest of the batter. Add the crumb topping (from the medium bowl), 100 g of crumbled halva on top, and bake at 350°x 45 minutes or until the center of the cake reaches the temperature of 210°.
Let cool for a couple of hours, then slice it into twelve 3×3 inches square.
Enjoy with your favorite cup of coffee.
How to store the tahini coffee cake:
How long does coffee cake last? Freshly baked coffee cake will keep well for about one week in the fridge when properly stored; when refrigerating, cover with foil or plastic wrap to prevent the cake from drying.
How long does coffee cake last in the freezer? Tightly wrap each cake’s slice with foil or plastic and place it in the freezer. Properly stored, it will maintain the best quality for about 2 to 3 months.
Ingredients
For the coffee swirl:
- 6 tbsp light brown sugar
- 4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp instant coffee
For the crumb topping:
- 160 g all-purpose flour
- 113 g unsalted butter,room temprature
- 100 g light brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
For the cake:
- 455 g all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 120 g buttermilk
- 120 g cold spresso
- 1 tbsp coffee powder
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 150 g room temperature butter
- 200 g light brown sugar
- 150 5 granulated sugar
- 4 whole eggs
- 70 g canola oil
Instructions
For the coffee swirl:
- In a small bowl, mix six tablespoons of light brown sugar, four teaspoons of ground cinnamon, and two tablespoons of instant coffee granules. Set aside.
For the crumb topping:
- In another medium-sized bowl, put 160 g of all-purpose flour, 113 g of room temperature unsalted butter, cut into pieces, 100 g light brown sugar, three teaspoons instant coffee, one teaspoon ground cardamom, and 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Dry ingredients:
- Sift 455 g of all-purpose flour and place in a bowl. Add 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
Wet ingredients:
- In another bowl, mix 120 g of buttermilk, 120 g of cold espresso,45 g of tahini, one tablespoon of coffee powder, and one teaspoon of vanilla paste.
Let’s make the cake:
- In a mixer bowl, place 150 g of room temperature butter together with 200 g of light brown sugar and 150 g of granulated sugar.
- Turn on the mixer and beat the butter mixture until nice and fluffy.
- Next, add 70 g of canola oil little by little. After that, add the room temperature eggs one by one, always waiting until the batter has absorbed the previous one.
- At this point, turn the mixer to low speed and start to slowly incorporate the dry and wet ingredients (alternating between them) into the batter.
- Once you’re done, transfer half of the batter to 9×13 inches greased and lined baking tray. Sprinkle the coffee mixture on top and add the rest of the batter. Add the streusel, 100 g of crumbled halva on top, and bake at 350°x 45 minutes or until the center of the cake reaches the temperature of 210°.
- Let cool for a couple of hours, then slice it into twelve 3×3 inches square.
- Enjoy with your favorite cup of coffee.
Notes
How to store the tahini coffee cake:
How long does coffee cake last? Freshly baked coffee cake will keep well for about one week in the fridge when properly stored; when refrigerating, cover with foil or plastic wrap to prevent the cake from drying. How long does coffee cake last in the freezer? Tightly wrap each cake’s slice with foil or plastic and place it in the freezer. Properly stored, it will maintain the best quality for about 2 to 3 months.Other sweet recipes that you might also like:
My secret recipe for Tiramisu and why it’s the best dessert for date night.
About Author
