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. It uses a light and airy vanilla-based cake that is 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.
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?
About 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.
The process and timeline for this cake
- Prepare cake batter - 10 minutes
- Bake cake - 35 minutes
- Chill cake - 4 hours at least (preferably overnight)
- Prepare buttercream - 15 minutes
- Crumb coat cake - 15 minutes
- Chill cake - 15 minutes
- Second coat - 15 minutes
- Chill cake - 15 minutes
- Final smoothing - 15 minutes
- Finishing touches
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. And yet, if salted butter is all you have, use it and omit salt in the recipe.
- Brown sugar - I love the flavor molasses from the brown sugar adds to the recipe. You can also use white of course. However, the color of the cake will be a tad lighter in color.
- Cardamom - If you are from the middle-east, then this won't surprise you. Cardamom and coffee is a perfect pair together. And yet, if you are not sure, feel free to omit it.
- 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. Some Turkish coffees have excess grounds left behind that do not do well if left in the cake.
- Nutmeg - Always use freshly grated nutmeg because the flavor is best when fresh.
Step by step instructions
Prepare cake
- Preheat the oven to 170 C/ 340 F.
- Grease and line 3 x 6-inch round cake pans or 2 x 8-inch round cake pans
- Add the coffee powder to the hot milk - combine well and set aside to cool.
- In a bowl, combine flour with baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt - and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
- Next, add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.
- Then, add the flour mixture and the coffee in three additions.
- Divide batter equally between the prepared baking pans.
Tip - I like to use cake strips to ensure my layer cakes bake flat. - Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean.
- Cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes. Invert and cool on a wire rackcompletely before you decorate.
Coffee buttercream
- First, watch a video on how to make this coffee buttercream.
- Add coffee and vanilla to the cold cream. Strain if necessary - and set aside
- In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth.
- Once all the powder sugar has been incorporated, continue to mix on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes more, until you have a light and fluffy buttercream.
- The cream in the mixture will whip and give you almost stiff peaks.
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.
Tip- Simple syrup is just sugar water that has been boiled and cooled. Used to keep cake layers moist. - Using a bread knife or cake leveler, cut the domes off the cake layers.
- Next, brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup.
- Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand.
- Top with a big dollop of buttercream - and spread evenly using a straight-edge spatula.
- Then, top the second cake layer on top followed by more buttercream and the last layer.
- Place the cake in the fridge to chill for 10 to 15 minutes.
Tip - Chilling the cake at this point will ensure the layers don't move when you frost the outside. However, if you leave the cake uncovered in the fridge for too long it can dry out. So, 10 minutes is all you need. - Next, spread the remaining buttercream around and top of the cake.
Tip - A straight-edge spatula fo the top, an off-set spatula and bench scraper for the sides work better. - Create a rustic buttercream look by simply swirling the tip of the spatula vertically around the cake.
- Lastly, 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.
- And, you can also create a rustic buttercream look by simply swirling the tip of the spatula around the cake.
More layer cakes
- One Vanilla Cake Recipe Many Different Flavors
- Vanilla Kahlua Cake with Kahlua Chocolate Buttercream
- Chai Latte Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Espresso Cake with Whipped Espresso Ganache
- Cardamom Cake with Mocha Buttercream
- See all layer cake recipes
Frequently asked questions
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.
No, but you can use my Eggless Vanilla Cake or Eggless Chocolate Cake. And, add some coffee to make it a cafe late cake.
Yes, you can use brown sugar, but the color of the cake will be a deeper caramel color.
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.
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Printable Recipe
Vanilla Cafe Latte Cake with Coffee Buttercream
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Ingredients
For the cake
- 8 oz (226 g) Unsalted butter (2 sticks, 1 cup), room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) White sugar
- ¾ cup (165 g) Light brown sugar
- 3 Large eggs
- 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
- 2 teaspoon Coffee ground
- ½ cup (120 ml) Hot milk
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Coffee Buttercream
- 8 oz (228 grams) Butter (2 sticks, 1 cup) unsalted, room temperature
- 3 cups (360 g) Powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Whipping cream
- 1 tbsp Coffee or Espresso ground
- ½ 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 8-inch round cake pans
- Add the coffee powder to the hot milk - combine well and set aside to cool.
- In a bowl, combine flour with baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt - set aside.
- 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.
- Then, add the flour mixture and the coffee in three additions.
- Divide batter equally between the prepared baking pans. Tip - I like to use cake strips to ensure my layer cakes bake flat.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean.
- Cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes. Invert and cool on a wire rack completely before you decorate.
Coffee Buttercream
- Watch a video on how to me this coffee buttercream
- Add coffee and vanilla to the cold cream. Strain if necessary - set aside
- In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter until smooth.
- Once all the powder sugar has been incorporatedContinue to mix on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes more until you have a light and fluffy buttercream.
- The cream in the mixture will whip and give you almost stiff peaks.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.Tip- Simple syrup is just sugar water that has been boiled and cooled. Used to keep cake layers moist.
- Using a bread knife or cake leveler cut the domes off the cake layers
- Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup
- 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.
- Place the cake in the fridge to chill for 10 to 15 minutes. 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.
- Spread the remaining buttercream around and top of the cake.Tip - A straight-edge spatula fo the top, an off-set spatula and bench scraper for the sides work better.
- 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.
- Create a rustic buttercream look by simply swirling the tip of the spatula around the cake.
Nutrition Information
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
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