In the UK, coffee cake is literally a cake with coffee in it. When I was thinking of my favourite cakes to include in this cookbook, I found out that in North America, coffee cake is a cake that you can eat with a cup of coffee— rather like how English tea cake does not actually contain tea but does pair well with tea.
Coffee was first cultivated in or around Ethiopia and gained popularity on the Arabian Peninsula in the sixteenth century, spreading into Europe a century or two later. The Dutch and Germans are credited with bringing the concept of drinking coffee with various cakes (such as streusel-topped cakes and Bundt cakes) to North America, a time-honoured favourite ever since. Some coffee cake recipes from the late 1800s onwards contain coffee, but not many are vegan like this one!
Excerpted from BReD by Edward Tatton and Natasha Tatton. Copyright © 2023 Edward Tatton and
Natasha Tatton. Photography by Janis Nicolay. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a
division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Espresso Coffee Cake
ED TATTON is a professional chef who has been to culinary college and worked in high-end kitchens in the UK, Australia, New Zealand as well as Canada, but now specialises in making organic naturally leavened sourdough, baking bread, pizza dough, and other small baked goods. These days, Ed’s food is compassionately 100% plant-based, a movement he is passionately excited to be part of and help grow for the benefit of people, the planet, and animals.
NATASHA TATTON is an English teacher turned bakery manager, animal rights advocate, and co-author of BReD. Natasha has taught English all over the world and ventured into various food and beverage roles, mainly in bakeries, nurturing her desire to provide more compassionate food choices for people.
Ingredients
Coffee Frosting
- 125g (½ cup) cold vegan butter
- 250g (1½ cups + 3 tablespoons) vegan icing sugar
- 250g (1 cup) vegan cream cheese
- 30mL (2 tablespoons) dark rum or coffee liqueur
- 30mL (2 tablespoons) brewed espresso, cooled
- 5.5g (1¼ teaspoons) pure vanilla extract
Sponge
- 30g (3 tablespoons + ¾ teaspoon) ground flaxseed
- 360g (1½ cups) unsweetened soy milk
- 250g (1 cup + 3 tablespoons) organic canola oil
- 250g (1 cup) coconut sugar
- 2 shots brewed espresso (or 60mL/¼ cup strong coffee), cooled
- 28g (2 tablespoons) pure vanilla extract
- 5.5g (1½ teaspoons) apple cider vinegar
- 300g (22/3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 75g (2/3 cup) stone-ground whole-grain spelt flour
- 10g (2 teaspoons) ground cinnamon
- 10g (2 teaspoons) ground espresso beans
- 10g (2¼ teaspoons) baking powder
- 10g (2 teaspoons) baking soda
- 4g (¾ teaspoon) fine sea salt
For decorating (optional)
- Cocoa powder
- Shaved dairy-free dark chocolate
- Toasted whole or sliced natural almonds
Directions
Make the coffee frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, cream the butter on medium-high speed until soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the icing sugar and beat on medium-high speed until smooth.
- Add the cream cheese and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 Add the rum, brewed espresso, and vanilla and mix until smooth. Scrape the frosting into an airtight container and place in the fridge to set up for a couple of hours. Clean the bowl so there is no residue of coffee frosting.
Make the sponge and bake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly coat two 9-inch (23cm) springform pans with canola oil spray, then line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- To make your flax egg, whisk together the flaxseed and soy milk in the bowl of a stand mixer until a smooth paste If there are any lumps, push a small rubber spatula against the side of the bowl to break them up. Let sit for 10 minutes to bloom and thicken.
- Whisk in the canola oil, coconut sugar, flax egg, brewed espresso, vanilla, and apple cider
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, spelt flour, cinnamon, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet Using the paddle, beat on medium speed until a smooth batter forms, 1 to 2 minutes. Stop the mixer halfway through and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure there are no lumps or dry patches.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, about 700g per Bake until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cakes comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let the cakes cool in their pans on a cooling rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the ring from the pan and let the cake layers cool completely before frosting, about 60 minutes.
Assemble the cake
- Remove the coffee frosting from the fridge. Transfer 1 cake layer to a serving plate. Using a piping bag fitted with a plain tip or an offset spatula, pipe or spread a third of the chilled coffee frosting over the cake layer. Place the other cake layer on top and lightly press it down. Pipe or spread a third of the frosting around the sides and then the remaining frosting over the top. Pipe some decorative droplets. Decorate by sifting cocoa powder or sprinkling shaved chocolate or toasted nuts over the top, if using. Place the finished cake back in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to let the frosting set.
- Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
