Coffee Coffee Coffee Cake

I made this coffee cake last night despite being hesitant about it after reading the reviews - I figured I was either going to love it or hate it. So far, both my boyfriend, who is not a big sweets person, and myself, who is a big sweets person, like it. I like it because: it's moist, has a nice rich, dark coffee flavor, has chocolate and nuts mixed in and the glaze adds a nice touch. The reason for the 3 forks instead of 4 is because it took so long to make and had so many steps. I'm used to making things with several steps so maybe I just wasn't in a "lots of steps" mood last night. So....I was planning on making the recipe exactly as is since so many other people had made modifications. But I didn't - I made a couple of very small changes. First, for the streusel, I used all brown sugar and no powdered sugar (I'm not familiar with powdered sugar being in streusel and there were a few reviews that were negative about the streusel so I decided to go with what I was familiar with) and second, I used walnuts instead of pecans only because it's what I had on hand. I used a 12 cup bundt pan, buttered it and floured it - set the timer at 40 minutes and wasn't sure if it was done after 40 so left it in 3 more minutes then decided to take it out then. I maybe could've gotten away with taking it out at 40 minutes, not sure. I had zero issues with my cake coming out of the pan in part I think because it's a Nordic Ware and they are awesome. Just a gentle tap and it came out perfectly. Oh and for me, the chocolate swirl did NOT disappear - totally there and loving it! I used Medaglia D'oro instant espresso (I'd never heard of it but found it in the instant coffee section) and Copa De Oro coffee liqueur. I was debating about whether to use Kahlua for the glaze but decided to go with a 100% coffee liqueur (Kahlua has rum too). I feel like the glaze, with the strong coffee liqueur, balances nicely with the sweetness of the cake. It's a glaze that hardens as it cools which works well for this recipe. I used all of the crumb topping and definitely it was piled on before baking but it bakes into the cake and I'm glad I didn't skimp. Overall, I'm pleased with the taste, texture and presentation of this coffee cake. I'd make it again if I was in the mood for a cake with chocolatey, nutty, strong coffee flavors and if I had the time and patience for all the steps it involves. Overall, totally recommend!!

• becca0203

• Santa Cruz Mountains, California

• 8/20/2019

Love this cake but there are some caveats to making it: 1. Use all the crumb topping. After noticing that the people who liked the cake tended to use all the crumb topping and the people who didn't didn't, I used all the crumb topping. It was good that way. Moral: it may look like too much topping, but really it's a true streusel. 2. No glaze needed. The cake is moist and doesn't need it. It's too sugary with it. 3. Remember how to remove a tube cake from its pan before following the recipe. The recipe doesn't remind you that you need to run the knife on the underside of the tube pan, too, before you flip the cake. I forgot, just followed the recipe, and ended up with my cake in 2 pieces. It was fixable, but i added a note for next time.

• ahava27

• Rhode Island

• 2/5/2018

I liked the flavor of the cake, but as happened to others, the swirl disappeared while the crumb topping sank into the cake. I will make it again, but will skip the crumb topping. I might try the swirl again, but with almonds. I will use the glaze again, I liked the tang of the sour cream.

• wordly1

• 12/12/2017

So I didn't even think to read the reviews because I was craving a coffee flavored cake and just went right into it after reading the recipe and seeing the pictures, but for those who aren't as impetuous as me, this cake turns out NOTHING like the photos. First off, the chocolate melts into the batter and it all becomes a dark chocolate-y flavored cake with some depth of flavor from the cardamom, cinnamon, and coffee, but coffee is not the outstanding flavor and you completely lose the swirl. ALSO you completely lose the crumble, which was 50% of the reason I chose this cake. Post-baking research led me to learn that adding confectioners sugar and a high butter ratio will lead to the crumble melting (making the photographed cake nearly impossible based on this recipe). I skipped the glaze because I'm generally not a fan of them. The cake did have good texture, very moist, however it is definitely NOT the cake they show you. Speaking as a fairly experience home-baker I was surprised with the results since I read the recipe very carefully when I bake, and I checked again afterwards to see that, no, I did not skip some vital instruction that might lead to the pictured cake instead of the one I had. Overall I was very disappointed with the result. It tasted fine, it's just not the cake I wanted to bake.

• JLim4

• Milford, PA

• 8/1/2017

I loved this Coffee Cake. I don't understand why this cake received bad reviews. Also, there is no such thing as too much crumb! I used all of it! It added a delightful crunch on the top. As far as the chocolate filling, mine was wonderful. I just glopped it on and smoothed it a little bit. For my recipe, I used 1 cup of coffee flour, 1 cup of white flour and 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour. The coffee flour really came through and added a pleasant bitterness. I baked my cake in a tube pan as directed.

• dianabartolus

• Portland, OR

• 4/27/2017

baked it as a sheet cake (only 30 minutes in the oven). I poured about 2/3 of the batter in the sheet pan, then spooned the swirl on, then added the rest of the batter, making swirls with a fork to spread it evenly. Turned out great. I skipped the crumble and the glaze.

• gabriellle

• New Mexico

• 4/13/2017

After reading the reviews I think you should show us a video of instructions. I couldn't see any glaze on the cake pictured. But the recipe sounds delicious. So many times readers add their own twist and the product gets a bum rap. I would consider making this recipe with at least one good review without any alterations. Please consider a video. Thanks for your expertice!

• Chrisbetts07

• Cannon Beach, OR

• 4/1/2016

After reading the other reviews, I skipped the swirl entirely and only made 1/2 the crumb topping. The topping was great, but the actual cake itself was just ok, nothing to really rave about. I prefer a traditional sour cream coffee cake much better.

• julieunc1

• Charleston, SC

• 1/25/2016

The taste is very good but it doesn't turn out like the picture - crumb topping sinks to the bottom and the chocolate melts into the batter. It's good but not great. I will make it again with my own changes to make it work.

• yazz1

• Portland, OR

• 6/9/2015

I followed the recipe but the chocolate swirl ended up just melting into the batter so the resulting cake was dark and without swirl. I agree with the other reviewer that there was way too much crumble and mine just sunk into the cake. The cake was so rich that it fell apart when removing it from the pan. It tastes great so I will crumble it with ice cream but I agree that it might be better off in a sheet pan. It is also plenty sweet without the glaze. I might make it again but I will just add chocolate chips to the batter and skip the swirl.

• dlsmorgan77

• Indianapolis, IN

• 5/11/2015

Couldn't wait to make this, what could be wrong with coffee and chocolate? It was OK, but we would not put this into a regular rotation. Our only recommendation is to half the amount of crumble. If you keep the crumble amount the same as the recipe, omit the salt from it.

• gbarrus

• Bar Harbor, ME

• 5/6/2015

My husband and I made this for breakfast. It was delicious, rich, and satisfying. However, looking at the amount of sugar already in the recipe, we decided to omit the glaze. We think it's plenty sweet enough without it. We also used roasted, chopped almonds in place of the pecans (because it was what I had). Also, we made it in a sheet pan with no problem at all. Next time, I would add chopped nuts to the streusel topping and continue to omit the glaze.

• KatheM

• Chelan, WA

• 5/2/2015

Agree, way too much going on here, but the flavor is great. I made this with semisweet chocolate chips and nuts instead of making the chocolate swirl. Also omitted the crumb topping. It was really great!

• Trimbug

• Oakland, CA

• 1/6/2024