The Coffee Tier (Wedding Cake Week)
The full recipe for the 8-inch, 3-layer coffee cake tier of my brother's wedding cake!
Servings 36 wedding portions
Equipment
- 3 8-inch round sandwich tins (see Note 1)
- 1 piping bag
- #1A piping tip (or similar, large, round nozzle).
- 8-inch round cake drum
- 10-inch square cake board (see Note 2).
- Temporary adhesives (I used paper adhesive stickers, see Note 2).
- Cake lifter
- Offset palette knife
- 4 cake dowels
- Icing smoother (see Note 3).
Ingredients
For the coffee cake layers (quantities for 1 layer in italics, quantities for 2 layers in bold):
- 180 ml brewed espresso (60ml, 120ml) (see Note 4).
- 120 ml boiling water (40ml, 80ml) (see Note 4).
- 3 tsp instant coffee granules (caffeinated) (1 tsp, 2 tsp).
- 240 g sour cream (80g, 160g).
- 3 splashes vanilla extract (1 splash, 2 splashes).
- 6 eggs (2 eggs, 4 eggs).
- 570 g self-raising flour (190g, 380g).
- 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda (1/4 tsp, 1/2 tsp).
- 330 g Stork baking spread (110g, 220g), plus extra for greasing (see Note 5).
- 420 g caster sugar (140g, 280g).
- 120 g light brown muscovado sugar (40g, 80g).
For the coffee buttercream (half quantities in bold italics):
- 500 g unsalted butter, softened (250g).
- 1 kg icing sugar, sifted (500g).
- 70 ml whole milk (35ml).
- 4 tsp instant coffee granules (caffeinated) (2 tsp).
To decorate:
- Pressed, edible violas (see Note 6).
- Gingerbread toppers
Instructions
Make the coffee cake layers:
- If you have 3 x 8-inch tins (and your oven is big enough to fit all three tins on one shelf), you can make the whole amount of batter at once and bake the 3 layers simultaneously. Alternatively, you can bake the layers one at a time (using the single layer quantities listed in italics in the ingredients list), or bake two layers at once (using the 2 layer quantities listed in bold), then make the final layer individually (which is what worked best for me).
- Preheat the oven to 150°C (conventional oven, not fan-assisted). Grease the baking tin(s) with Stork and line the base(s) with a circle of greaseproof paper. Set aside.
- Place the brewed espresso, boiling water and instant coffee granules in a large measuring jug. Stir to dissolve.
- Add the milk, sour cream and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Allow to cool slightly, then add the eggs and whisk again until fully incorporated. Set aside.
- Sift together flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream Stork, caster sugar and light brown muscovado sugar together on high speed until well-combined and fluffy.
- With mixer on medium-low, gradually add 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Continue mixing until just incorporated.
- With mixer still on medium-low, gradually add 1/2 of wet ingredients. Continue mixing until just incorporated.
- Repeat this process with the next 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by the remaining 1/2 of the wet ingredients and finishing with the final 1/3 of the dry ingredients.
- Turn the mixer speed up to medium and mix briefly to ensure everything is incorporated and batter is smooth.
- Divide the batter between the prepared tin(s) and bake in preheated oven for 60-65 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely in the tins, then carefully run a palette knife around the edges to loosen them. Use a large, serrated palette knife to level the tops of the cakes while still in the tins, then carefully turn out onto wire racks.
Make the coffee buttercream:
- I recommend making the buttercream in two batches, using the half quantities listed in (bold italics) in the ingredients list.
- Fit mixer with paddle attachment. Beat butter until smooth, pale and creamy (about 3-5 mins), scraping down the sides when necessary.
- While the butter is beating, warm the milk in the microwave (20 seconds on high), then add the coffee granules and stir to dissolve.
- With mixer on low, add half of the icing sugar to the butter, a spoonful at a time, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go.
- With mixer on low, gradually pour milk mixture into buttercream and mix until incorporated.
- Add the rest of the icing sugar with the mixer still running, a spoonful at a time.
- Once everything has been added, turn the mixer up to high and beat until fluffy and fully mixed (about 1 minute). Add a little more milk if icing is too stiff.
- Remove a spoonful of icing and microwave on high for 10-15 seconds to melt. Stir to ensure evenly melted, then mix into the rest of the icing by hand to smooth.
Assemble the cake:
- Secure the 8-inch cake drum to the 10-inch cake board (if using), using paper adhesive stickers (or other similar, temporary adhesive). Set on a turntable, with a layer of non-slip fabric in-between the turntable and the boards.
- Spread a dollop of buttercream onto the cake drum, then set the first, cooled cake layer on top, making sure it is level and centred on the drum. It should line up with the sides of the drum.
- Pipe an even layer of coffee buttercream all over the surface of the cake layer, making sure to go right to the edges. Use an offset palette knife to spread the icing out evenly, ensuring there is some overhanging icing at the edges.
- Place the next layer of cake on top, making sure it is centred and level. Repeat the icing process, adding another even layer of icing on top, then topping with the final layer of cake.
- Smooth the excess icing around the sides with a palette knife/icing smoother, then chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Add 4 cake dowels, if using.
- Apply a thin crumb coat, then chill again for 15 minutes.
- Apply a generous layer of icing all over the top and sides of the cake. At this stage, cover the sides of the cake drum with icing too. Smooth out the top, making sure to leave some overhanging icing all around the top edge, then use the icing smoother to smooth out the sides, moving the turntable, rather than the smoother, for best results. The overhanging icing should be pushed upwards and inwards during this process, forming a nice 'lip' around the top of the cake.
- If needed, apply more icing to any uneven sections and smooth again.
- Once happy with the finished cake, set aside at cool room temperature to firm up, until ready to eat/transport.
Decorate the cake:
- As close to serving as possible, lay the pressed flowers onto the surface of the cake (on which the buttercream is now hardened), making sure you are happy with the arrangement before sticking them down. Use a small amount of icing on the end of skewer to stick down each flower individually, then press the gingerbread cake toppers into the top, making sure they are centred.
Notes
Notes:
- I use these 8-inch sandwich tins by Silverwood. If you only have one, that's absolutely fine— just make and bake each layer individually using the single layer quantities listed in (italics) in the ingredients list. If you have two, you can make two layers at once (using the quantities listed in (bold) in the ingredients list), then bake the final layer using the single layer quantities. I did it this way, because my oven can't fit 3 8-inch layers on the same shelf at once.
- You can skip the extra cake board/adhesive if you don't need to transport the cake— these just make it easier to manoeuvre the cake without worrying about it slipping/sliding.
- If you want smooth sides on a cake, you really do need to invest in an icing smoother. I use this one by Wilton.
- This roughly equates to 3 lungo settings on a Nespresso machine, so feel free to use that too (I used 3x Ristretto Decaffeinato on the lungo setting directly into a measuring jug, then made up the difference to 300ml (100ml, 200ml) with boiling water. If you prefer, you can omit the espresso, double the amount of instant coffee granules and use all boiling water, but the coffee flavour won't be as strong.
- Using Stork makes this cake extra light, fluffy and moist, but you can use softened, unsalted butter if you prefer.
- I purchased the violas from Nurtured in Norfolk. On this cake, I used the colourways 'Cream' and 'Midnight Blue & Cream'.