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Coffee Lovers Cake

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Decadent espresso infused, cookie filled, chocolate and vanilla bean coffee cake! | The Simple, Sweet Life

Well happy almost weekend you beautiful bakers!

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything new… or done much of anything on the interwebs (oh hello super neglected social media!). Truth be told, life has felt a little overwhelming as of late. And maybe it’s just me, but I tend to go into super hermit mode when I feel overwhelmed. Like, aside from work, I’m pretty sure I’ve spent the last month living on my couch, in sweat pants, binge watching the heck out of pretty much every TV show ever, generally avoiding “real” life. Seriously, I just can’t adult this month.

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But between the immigration process for my husband, filing international taxes, and the slew of car trouble we’ve had this month, I’ve been up to my eyeballs in paperwork and I just haven’t been able to bring myself to sit down in front of my computer and type any more than I have to. Seriously guys, we’re talking paperwork for DAYS.

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But I’m not going to sit here and be a Debby-downer about the quite literal foot of paperwork I’ve been working my way through or the TV binge watching that has been my life of late. Truth be told, I can’t really complain. I got first world problems, folks.

And cake.

Which is what I’m assuming you’re here for. That and my endless stream of punny wit.  No, just the cake?

Aaaaaaaaaanyway, you know what the best cure for burnout and the dulldrums is? Cake, obviously. Heavily caffeinated, espresso infused, sugar-coma-inducing CAKE. Filled with cookies. Because we’re adults and we do what we want!

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Coffee Lovers Cake

Decadent espresso infused, cookie filled, chocolate and vanilla bean coffee cake! | The Simple, Sweet Life
  • Author: The Simple, Sweet Life
  • Yield: One 6" cake 1x
  • Category: Dessert
Scale

Ingredients

For the chocolate cake:

  • 1 oz. dark chocolate
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup +2 tbsp. (10 tbsp.) baking cocoa
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour

For the vanilla bean cake:

  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup (57g) butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 vanilla bean
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour

For the espresso buttercream:

  • 8 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 3/4 cup (400g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp. espresso powder + 1 tsp. water
  • 1 lb (454g) unsalted butter, cubed and at room temp.

For the chocolate ganache:

  • 100g dark chocolate
  • 100g heavy cream

For filling and garnishing:

  • Coarsely chopped chocolate chip cookies and oreos
  • Chocolate covered espresso beans

Instructions

  1. For the chocolate cake, whisk together the dark chocolate and boiling water until the chocolate is completely melted (set aside to cool). Whisk the egg on high until light and fluffy, and then whisk in the vegetable oil. Whisk in the rest of the chocolate cake ingredients (including the water/chocolate mixture) until just combined, and pour into two greased and lined 6″ cake pans. Bake at 350F/175C for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  2. For the vanilla bean cake, melt the butter and whisk in the milk. Heat the milk/butter mixture in the microwave for a few seconds if the two start to separate (set aside to cool). In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, baking powder, and flour. Cut apart your vanilla bean and scrape the contents into the bowl. Whisk in the butter/milk mixture until just combined. Pour your batter into two greased and lined 6″ cake pans and bake at 350F/175C for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpicks inserted in the center come out clean.
  3. To make the espresso buttercream, combine the water and granulated sugar in a small saucepan and the mixture reaches 230F/110C. While the sugar and water cook, whisk your egg whites until they hold stiff peaks in a stand mixer. Slowly pour the hot syrup into your egg whites, whisking continually on low-medium speed. Increase the speed on your mixer to high and continue whisking until the mixture has cooled to room temperature. In a small bowl, stir together your espresso powder and water, and add that as you add your cubes of butter. Whisk until the mixture becomes a smooth frosting.
  4. To assemble your cake, alternate layers of chocolate and vanilla bean cake with a healthy helping of espresso frosting (1/2″-1″ between each layer of cake). Extra points if you add coarsely chopped chocolate chip cookies and oreos between each layer. Crumb coat your cake and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes to keep those dark crumbs out of your outer layer of frosting. Finish frosting the top and sides of your cake as desired, and set aside to firm up in the refrigerator for another 20-30 minutes.
  5. To make the chocolate ganache, heat your heavy cream and dark chocolate in the microwave, stirring between each heating, until the chocolate is melted and the ganache is smooth. Set aside until the ganache is no longer warm but still easily spreadable.
  6. Remove your cake from the refrigerator and cover the top with the chocolate ganache, allowing it to drip over the sides. Garnish with any leftover espresso frosting and chocolate covered espresso beans.

 

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Comments

  4. It’s great to take time off sometimes, especially when you feel a little overwhelmed. 🙂 That cake looks amazingly beautiful. And the espresso buttercream, the coffee lover in me loves it so so much!

    Reply

    • Thanks Elsa! 🙂 The blogger in me is always kind of nervous about not giving my blog the attention it deserves, but the human being in me occasionally decides it just needs a break… and sleep… and perhaps a decent meal that’s more than a cup of coffee. 😉 So glad you like the cake! I may or may not have eaten the leftover espresso frosting out of the bowl… 😉

      Reply

    • Hi Elise! It might be a little difficult to make these as cupcakes just because there are two flavors of cake in this recipe. You could choose to just go with one of the cake flavors, or you could try filling each cupcake liner with half of the chocolate batter and half of the vanilla bean batter. Bake at 350F for 18-20 minutes.

      Reply

    • Hi Dariann! Buttercreams are tricky that way and I struggled with this in the beginning, too. This is actually a totally natural phase of the buttercream process, and you just need to keep mixing until it all comes together. Depending on the size of my stand mixer and the batch of frosting I’m making, the final round of whipping (on a high speed setting) can take anywhere from 5-15 minutes before I end up with a cohesive frosting. Hope this helps! 🙂

      Reply

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