Hi,
I am looking for a recipe that is, actually, coffee flavored. As someone who does not like coffee, it is difficult for me to know what tastes good.

Thanks for your help!

Coffee is easy to add to any of your favorite recipes. My personal choice and the choice of many top chefs is Medaglia D'Oro Espresso powder. You can find it on Amazon. This can be easliy added to and liquid, butter, sour cream, etc., in the recipe without changing the chemistry.

Another option is to go to your local coffee shop and buy a cup of espresso. Sub some of the liquid in the recipe with the espresso.

And a really great way to add coffee flavor is to brush Kahlua on the cut side of the finished layers. No changes to the recipe are needed.

You didn't mention the flavor of the cake you want... chocolate, yellow (makes a great latte flavor), or another flavor. Let me know and I'll make a suggestion.

What flavor do to need the frosting to be? Coffee too? I would again need to know the base flavor.

I personally don't like coffee either, but like liqueurs and spirits (which I also dislike), I love what the coffee flavor can bring to the baked good.

Hope this helps. Let me know about the flavors.

Wow! Thanks scp1127 for such a comprehensive reply! I would guess chocolate would be the base flavor. As for the frosting, I ususally use chocolate ganache under fondant. I would be open to other suggestions though.

Again, Thanks!
Susan

Chocolate is going to be a very strong flavor competing with the coffee. If you want JUST a coffee flavored cake, I would use a white base. If you want a MOCHA (choc/coffee) flavored cake you can use the chocolate but make sure you add lots of coffee. Hero makes a Mocca (means coffee, not to be confused with "mocha") Compound that I add to white cake batter for mine. You can also do as scp suggested and soak the cake with Kahlua of just espresso shots. HOWEVER, do NOT go down to your local coffee place and buy *just* shots of espresso. When espresso is brewed there are 3 (visible) layers to it and after about 15 seconds of sitting, those layers settle and the shot "burns" resulting in a bad taste and needing to be disposed of. When you add even a little water or milk to it (like when it goes into your latte) it "saves" the shot. So, long story short, order the espresso shots but ask that they put an ounce or two of water in there as well.

Hi scp1127, I would like your suggestions for adding coffee to a yellow cake and vanilla buttercream. Thanks.

Kory,
thank you for your helpful response! I will do as you and spc1127 suggested and try a white or yellow cake.

Susan

All great posts.

About the espresso, I did not know that. I go to an Italian market and describe what I am doing and they hand me a cup. I guess they fix it for me.

For chocolate, I would use a chocolate cake with the espresso, strong coffee, or powder. The a double brush of Kahlua. Kahlua is a very weak liqueur so if you let it set for about 12 hours before serving, it will be very mellow.

For the frosting, I use IMBC. In my recipe, I can use 1 tbsp of liquid per stick of butter. I think most frostings except cream cheese will do this. Use Kahlua, coffee, or espresso. Again, if you need less liquid, put it in a small pot and reduce it on the stove. But watch it because it will reduce quickly. A sprinkle of espresso powder is pretty.

For my Mocha cake, I use the Hershey's Black Magic version (plus I sub sour cream for the buttermilk and use only 1 tsp each of both leaveners. Then I brush two layers of Kahlua. You can finish it with chocolate frosting with a little coffee flavor or add Bailey's instead for a great combination.

I have another chocolate cake that has Kahlua in the batter, brushed on, and in the frosting (vanilla IMBC). Kind of Kahlua overload, but it is still subtle.

I haven't done yellow, but I would take my yellow cake and add the espresso powder to the half and half, brush the cake with Kahlua, and top with Bailey's IMBC. I would call it a Cafe Latte. My go-to yellow is Cake Love's. It's on his site.

I use quite a bit of liqueurs in my baking. Used for flavoring like an extract, it shouldn't have a strong alcohol taste. But others can have a stronger taste and be delicious. I personally think liqueurs taste better in dessert than cocktails.

Both cake recipes are on the web. My IMBC base is also Cake Love's (on his site too, but his book is great).