Tender and moist, this Coffee Drizzle Loaf is the perfect treat for your morning, afternoon or dessert. The coffee and vanilla marble swirl and coffee glaze make this the ultimate coffee lovers dream.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
Easy to make | As this is an all in one recipe, it’s one of the most easy and straight forward bakes you’ll ever make.
Great balance of flavours | The vanilla and coffee flavours together are so delicious and they work perfectly together to create a delicious harmonious cake.
Perfect for any time of day | Loaf cakes and especially this Coffee Drizzle Loaf, are a great way to start the day, but they are equally perfect for a mid-morning snack, an afternoon pick me up, and are even better as a decadent dessert served with a big dollop of ice cream.
HOW TO GET THE PERFECT MARBLE EFFECT
Separate the batters | As a marble cake uses two (usually opposing coloured) batters, it’s important to keep them in separate bowls and use two separate spoons or spatulas when adding them to the loaf tin. If the colours mix before you’ll likely find patches of brown cake as opposed to the marble effect.
Alternate between the vanilla and the coffee cake batter | The first step for the best marble effect is to alternate between the different coloured batters when adding them to the pan. Keep layering them on top of each other ideally layers dark onto light so you get the most even swirl possible.
Don’t over swirl the cake batter | The final step is to gently swirl the batters together, but there is a little bit of technique to this. The best tool to use is a wooden or metal skewer. You insert the skewer all the way into the batter until it touches the bottom of the pan and gently drag it through the mixture in a figure of 8. Be careful not to over-swirl though or you will risk mixing the colours together too much and getting a brown colour instead.
TIPS FOR MAKING THIS DELICIOUS COFFEE DRIZZLE LOAF
1. Line your pan with non-stick baking paper | There is nothing worse than spending all your time and effort on a cake, only for it to stick to the cake tin. To save yourself from this trauma and ensure an easy release, line all sides of your loaf tin with two pieces of a good non-stick baking paper and you’re guaranteed to have a perfectly shaped loaf that doesn’t stick.
2. Use good quality ingredients | The best quality ingredients will give you a better quality end bake. The key to delicious coffee cake is using delicious good quality coffee. Espresso powder is the best for this recipe however it is hard to get hold of and isn’t something you’d necessarily want in your cupboard, especially if only using once or twice. The best alternative is a good quality instant coffee powder, like Nescafe Azera Intense, but you can make your own if you own a coffee machine that grinds beans so read more on how below.
3. Make sure the ingredients are room temperature | To make sure you are going to get the best outcome of this bake, the butter, eggs and milk should all be at room temperature before making this cake.
4. Don’t over mix | As this cake is made using oil, it is very easy to over mix the batter without realising. Once you’ve added the hot water, fold it through gently until it’s just incorporated and you will have a beautiful cake with amazing texture.
5. Cover the cake with foil while baking | Loaf cakes have a long bake so it’s common for the top of the loaf to go brown too soon. Adding loose layer of foil over the top of the cake will slow the browning down and give you a lovely even bake all the way round.
6. Test that the cake is baked before cooling | Loaf cakes can also be incredibly deceiving and when you think they’re done the centre still needs a few extra minutes. Once it’s out of the oven the best way to check the cake is cooked is by inserting a cocktail stick or something of a similar size into the centre of the cake, if the stick is clean with a few wet crumbs sticking when removed then you have a perfect loaf ready for cooling.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN ESPRESSO POWDER ?
To make your own Espresso Powder you only need some left over coffee grounds and ideally a coffee grinder. I have the Sage Barista Pro and it’s the best purchase I have ever made. Not just for coffee but it’s perfect for this recipe which is a great way of using used coffee grounds.
- Lay out your used coffee grounds onto a baking tray lined with tin foil
- Set your oven to 80C and roast the grounds for 2-3 hours until they are dry and crunchy
- Transfer the grounds to a coffee grinder, or alternatively a pestle and mortar or a small food processor and grind them down to a fine powder.
- Let them cool completely before moving into an air tight container.
- How much you get will depend on how much coffee ground you start with but if you bake a lot you could easily batch make this so you have a enough to last you through plenty of bakes.
TOOLS YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE THIS COFFEE DRIZZLE LOAF?
Before you dive face first into this delicious Coffee Drizzle Loaf, let’s check what tools you need to create it first. Here’s what you’ll need:
2lb loaf tin
Non-stick baking paper
Several mixing bowls
Sieve
Balloon whisk
Two spatulas
Cooling rack
Baking Tray
Coffee Grinder (optional)
Food processor (optional)
Pestle and Mortar (optional)
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LOVE COFFEE? TRY THESE COFFEE FLAVOURED CAKES
Coffee Drizzle Loaf
Ingredients
For the marble loaf
- 200 g caster sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp coffee extract
- 1 tsp coffee powder
- 2 tsp dutch cocoa powder
- 2 eggs large
- 180 ml sunflower oil
- 50 ml milk
- 200 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
For the Coffee Drizzle
- 40 ml espresso freshly brewed
- 2 tsp sugar
For the Glaze
- 100 g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp espresso freshly brewed
Instructions
For the marble loaf
- Preheat the oven to 180C and line a 2lb loaf tin with non-stick baking paper
- Add the sugar to a mixing bowl or standing mixer and add the vanilla extract. Mix the two together until it looks like wet sand.
- Whisk in the eggs until the mixture becomes thick like a mousse, then whilst whisking pour in the oil and the milk and mix until combined.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda and salt then add it to the bowl and gently fold the mixture together until the flour is just combined.
- Remove half the mixture into a separate bowl and add in the coffee powder, coffee extract and dutch cocoa powder and fold them all through until well combined.
- Alternate dollops of the mixtures to the pan one at a time, ensuring you are using alternate spatulas for each colour.
- When all the mixture has been added, place a wooden or metal skewer right through the batter until it touches the bottom on the loaf tin then drag it through the batter in a figure of 8 a few times to get the perfect marble effect.
- Loosely cover the tin with a piece of tin foil and bake the loaf in the centre of the oven for 40-45 minutes
- Onced baked insert a skewer to check its fully cooked in the centre. Create several more holes in the loaf with the skewer then pour the coffee drizzle over letting it soak through as the cake cools.
For the Coffee Drizzle
- Add the espresso shot and sugar to a measuring jug and mix until the sugar has dissolved.
For the Coffee Glaze
- Add the icing sugar to a mixing bowl then add 1 tbsp of espresso and mix it through until you have a pourable glaze. Add a little more espresso if needed to get the consistency you need.
- When the loaf has cooled completely remove it from the loaf tin and pour over the coffee glaze, letting it drip down the sides.
- Let the glaze set slightly before cutting it into slices and serving
