Ingredients
- For the cake — two 8-inch rounds: 🍰 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, divided 🧈
- ☕️ 2 tablespoons instant coffee
- 💧 1 cup hot water
- 🌾 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 🍚 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 🧂 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 🧪 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 🥛 ½ cup (122.5 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 🥚 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 🍨 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Stabilized whipped cream filling: 🥄 2 ounces (about 56 g) cream cheese, softened 🧀
- 🍚 ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 🥛 2 cups (476 g) heavy cream / whipping cream
- 🍨 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 🧂 1 pinch kosher salt
- Coffee icing: 🍯 ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks / 170 g) unsalted butter 🧈
- ☕️ 1 tablespoon instant coffee
- 🥛 ¼ cup (60.5 g) half-and-half, room temperature
- 🍨 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 🍚 4 cups (500 g) confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add 1 cup (227 g) butter. When melted, add 2 tablespoons instant coffee and 1 cup hot water; whisk until combined. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, ¼ tsp salt and 2 tsp baking soda.
- Pour the warm butter-coffee mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until combined into a smooth batter.
- In a separate bowl, whisk ½ cup buttermilk, 2 large eggs and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Pour into the batter and whisk until smooth and fully combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with a spatula.
- Bake 24–26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Cool in the pans 10–15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- When cooled, use a serrated knife to slice each cake horizontally into two equal layers (4 layers total). Place layers on a lined baking sheet and freeze at least 2 hours (or overnight) to firm for easier assembly.
- While layers freeze, chill a mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for about 15 minutes to prepare for the stabilized whipped cream.
- Make the stabilized whipped cream: in the chilled bowl beat 2 oz softened cream cheese with ½ cup sugar on medium-high until smooth and lump-free.
- With the mixer off, pour in 2 cups heavy cream. Beat on medium until soft peaks form, then continue to stiff peaks. Add ½ tsp vanilla and a pinch of salt and briefly mix—do not overbeat.
- Assemble the cake: place one frozen layer on a cake stand or plate. Spread about one-third of the whipped cream evenly to the edges. Repeat with the next two layers, finishing with the top layer.
- Make the coffee icing: in a medium saucepan over low heat, melt ¾ cup butter. Stir in 1 tablespoon instant coffee, ¼ cup half-and-half and 2 tsp vanilla; whisk and remove from heat.
- In a large bowl add 4 cups confectioners’ sugar. Pour the warm butter-coffee mixture over the sugar and whisk until smooth and lump-free. If too thick, add half-and-half 1 tsp at a time to reach a drizzling consistency.
- Evenly drizzle the icing over the assembled cake, letting some drip down the sides. Chill briefly to set the icing, then let the cake come to room temperature 20–30 minutes before serving.
- Storage: keep refrigerated, covered, up to 3 days. For best texture bring slices to room temperature before serving.