This magnificent coffee loaf cake is moist, tender, and full of coffee flavor. It’s an easy recipe with delicious results – and the best way to get your morning pick-me-up, if you ask me!
The recipe I’m sharing today is a cake I tried when I was visiting Santorini a few years ago. The hotel I stayed at had an amazing breakfast buffet, including some delicious cakes and pastries, including a coffee loaf cake that I fell in love with. I immediately asked for the recipe and after a few days, I got the sweetest email with a detailed recipe from the chef, Grivas Nikos. I did end up making some adjustments and I love the result.
Coffee cakes usually have a mild coffee flavor, but not this one! It has a strong flavor, so it’s great for a coffee break or a morning snack. If you love your cup of coffee, you’ll love this cake!
How to make coffee loaf cake
- Preheat the oven and prepare a loaf pan. This cake bakes at 325°F/160°C and is baked in an 8½ x 4¼-inch loaf pan. Grease or line the pan with parchment. I bake with this gorgeous non-toxic loaf pan from Caraway because the cake releases like butter from the perfect non-stick sides.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir together the wet ingredients. In a small bowl combine milk and coffee.
- Cream butter and sugar. Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes until fluffy. Occasionally scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Add the dry and wet ingredients. On low speed, beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk mixture in 2 additions, starting and ending with the flour. Once all is added, be careful not to overmix the batter.
- Bake. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry. Allow to cool before eating.
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Note: The coffee flavor intensifies as the cake sits, so I actually prefer eating it the next day!
Tips for making coffee loaf cake
- Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing can make the cake tough and dense. When you add the dry and wet ingredients, only mix the batter until everything is incorporated and no more.
- Use room temperature ingredients. I recommend taking the refrigerated ingredients out at least 30 minutes before making the cake. Room temperature ingredients bake more evenly and allow the cake to rise properly, creating a lighter texture.
- To freeze the cake, double wrap it in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. The thaw, allow the cake to thaw in the fridge or on the countertop overnight.
More of my favorite loaf cakes
- Carrot Loaf Cake: Moist, delicious carrot cake topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting.
- Mango Bread: Perfectly tender and bursting with fresh, juicy mango.
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread: Fluffy and flavorful, made with creamy peanut butter and ripe bananas.
- Amazing Poppy Seed Cake: Made with shredded coconut, orange zest, and orange juice, this scrumptious poppy seed cake is unlike any other.
Coffee Loaf Cake
Moist and tender cake bursting with coffee flavor! This cake is easy to make and pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (245g) all-purpose flour
- ½ tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
- 3 tablespoons (10g) instant coffee granules dissolved in 3 tablespoons hot water
- ½ cup (115g/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 325°F/160°C. Line with parchment or grease an 8½ x 4¼-inch loaf pan.
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In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
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In a small bowl combine milk and coffee.
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Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes until fluffy. Occasionally scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined. On low speed, beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk mixture in 2 additions, starting and ending with the flour. Once all is added, be careful not to overmix the batter.
-
Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry. If the cake is browning too much while baking, cover the top loosely with aluminium foil. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Serve cake at room temperature. The coffee flavor gets stronger over time, after about 24 hours.
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Store cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cake can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Sonia says
I just found your site through this recipe – I can’t wait to try it! I’m hoping to make it for Thanksgiving. And thank you for including weight measurements 🙂 and beautiful photos! I’d love to travel there someday….
Ellie says
I made it now, it’s very delicious, smels so good!
With less sugar, plus 1tbs. brown sugar.
CANDY says
Hi I just wanted to let you know that I made this and it was delicious. I cut the sugar a little bit and it was about right.
Thank you for the recipe!
Marc says
I just realized I never gave a review on this, I apologize. I bake a lot, like an absurd amount and have tried numerous coffee flavored cakes and they never quite captured what I was looking for, true coffee flavor in a simple form. Great coffee flavor in a moist cake with a great texture. I’ve been making this recipe for awhile now and it’s kind of a staple for get togethers. Thanks Shiran
Monal Jain says
Hi. I tried this recipe and it came out beautifully. I have one doubt that applies to all cakes and not just this one. I noticed that in some recipes, baking soda is not used. So my first question is, what role does Bakind soda play in baking? Is it just to fluff up the cakes? And second, given its purpose, why do we skip using it in some recipes, for example, this one? I follow your recipes for most of my cakes. So thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
Shiran says
Thank you so much, Monal 🙂 There’s so many info you can find on google that will give you the answers you need. When we don’t use baking soda we usually use baking powder, so search for the difference between them.
Njide says
Just tried this. I was so yummy. Thank you for a simple fab recipe. I added a bit more butter and used 200g of sugar instead .
DT says
Tried the recipe using only 200g of sugar but it was still a tad sweet for me. It had a good coffee flavour though. Added coffee cream cheese frosting on top of the loaf which went well together!
Chun Chun says
Can I replace it with oat milk? Thanks!
Shiran says
It will give the cake a different flavor, but yes you can.
Esme Headland says
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe, the cake batter is delicious. I’m baking the loaf cake as I type whilst watching and smiling at my daughter scrape the sides of bowl with spoon and lick it I got a thumbs up .. can’t wait to taste a slice with a cup of coffee for our afternoon break.
M Mohsin Khan says
Love your recipes and made this one today. Sorry but it was a let down. Baked perfectly fine and came out well as far as texture and all are concerned, but the taste… I used nescafe gold coffee, and I used Cadbury cocoa powder, still it didn’t taste good enough. It felt as though something had burnt in there. That sort of a cake. I’m a trained pastry chef, so weight/temperature are all no issues. I use good techniques and all the recipes I’ve tried from your website have always turned out perfectly well. This time, it was an exception. Or maybe, I don’t have what it takes to appreciate coffee and chocolate.
Shiran says
I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes. Coffee cakes can taste burnt or bitter sometimes but it didn’t happen to me in this cake. I’m not sure why it happened, or maybe you just didn’t like the flavor. I’ve actually updated the recipe recently because I wanted it to be more moist, in case you want to give it another try.
Eileen says
Hi, understand you have updated the recipe recently. May I know what has been changed?
Shiran says
Hi Eileen . Although I loved the original recipe, I’ve received a few comments about this cake being too dense. In the original recipe there was 1/3 cup milk instead of 1 cup, and 1 teaspoon baking powder instead of 2.
Eileen says
Thank you so much! I somehow love the texture of the original recipe although the updated version turns out really good too. I’m gonna try it again today! 😉
Emily says
Perfect recipe, thank you. I didn’t change a thing. Very moist and moreish. I found the coffee flavour to be fairly subtle – my instant coffee may not be as strong as yours – but it tastes fantastic.
Shivani says
Hi I tried the recipe . The cake had a strong coffee flavour when it was warm but next day it had mellowed down. Can I add more coffee to make it more flavourful
Shiran says
Sure, but I recommend not adding too much at first because it can make the cake bitter.
Rich says
Oh my, this is delicious!!! Thank you. Also thanks for converting it to grams and not just cups – saved me some faff!
Coffee flavour came through wonderfully with the nestle azura instant I used – I just added it in with the flour (not mixed) and worked well as it is so fine.
Susan Connor says
Can expresso coffee granules be used?
Randi says
This recipe is amazing. Soo simple and easy. The taste and the texture is heavenly. I increased the amount of butter a little bit and used less sugar. It was perfect. Thank you for sharing this Oia cake. 😀
Yas says
This was really good. Halved the sugar, thought it wouldnt work because the butter + sugar didnt go fluffy as per your directions. But it turned out really perfect after 50mins. Thanks for this lovely recipe.
Wendy says
Lovely cake. I used 200 g of sugar and added some walnuts .
Casey Radley says
The texture of this cake is perfection. Incredibly light and fluffy and a light crunch on the sides. Took the feedback from others on the recipe and added 10g extra butter, only used 200g of sugar and used a fresh shot of espresso vs. instant coffee and it was utterly decadent.
Jamie Klemm says
I just made the cake and it is delicious. My only concern was that it became quite raised and while cooling off it deflated. Any idea as to why?
Navneet Oak says
My cake turned out yummy and moist, But it was very crumbly. What is the reason for that to happen?
Helyn Tompkins says
I love this coffee cake. Great flavor.
Easy to make. My problem is the pan size.
The first time I used the loaf pan which was to small. Today i used 8 in square also to small.
I want to keep baking this its very good. What is the correct pan size?
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hey Helyn, this cake is actually meant to be on the smaller side 🙂 But if you want it larger, you can make 1.5x the recipe (so multiple each ingredient amount by 1.5 🙂 Just be sure to increase the baking time so it bakes completely (until a toothpick comes out clean).
Oopa says
Hi,
Can this be made in a 6 inch round pan?
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Oopa, it most likely can. Just double check the cake while baking and adjust baking time accordingly.
Krish says
Thank you for your recipe. It inspired me and I made a few modifications to make it my own.
Instead of loaf, I made it into 12 muffins, shortening baking time to 23 mins.
Melted butter so I don’t have to use my mixer and then wash up. Melted butter in a large bowl and then only used this bowl for less wash up.
Used 3/4 cup brown sugar.
For a darker chocolate look, added more than 1 tbsp cocoa.
Oh ya, found some grated roasted peanuts in my fridge so added about 1/2 cup of that.
Just enjoyed muffin with my coffee. Yums.
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Krish, that sounds delicious!
Tash says
Just wondering, could I replace the sugar with brown sugar or a half/half situation?
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Tash, that should work just fine. Substitute for brown sugar or a mix, just keep the weight measurement for sugar the same.
Sofie says
Awesome recipe.thanks for sharing. I checked after 40mins.It was baked from the sides and was nearly getting over browned but middle was still wet so i reduced the temperature and it took another 30mins.So in total my cake took 1hour 10mins.
I had 100gms butter left in my fridge:) and i used brown sugar 125gms instead of white and sprinkled some walnuts on top before baking.
My God what a yum it turned out🤗
Jack Dittmann says
Three kids come over for lunch on Friday and Monday. Always looking for something new to make. This sounds perfect paired with grilled cheese.
Jeffrey says
Can you substitute regular brewed coffee for the instant? If so what would you suggest as a ratio?
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Jeffrey, in this recipe, instant coffee is used because it fully dissolves in the 3T hot water. Regular coffee grounds do not. You could brew very strong coffee or espresso and use 3T of that liquid instead of the instant coffee and hot water.