Irish Coffee Coffee Cake
Behold: a nightcap coffee cake. Buzzing with espresso, topped with a sprinkling of espresso sugar and packed with two layers of whiskey-spiked streusel, this coffee cake is a tender delicacy you’ll enjoy to the last crumb.
Ingredients
For the Irish whiskey streusel:
- 1 3/4 cups (7 3/4 oz./220 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (7 3/4 oz./220 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 tsp. espresso powder
- 1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 10 Tbs. (1 1/4 sticks) (5 oz./150 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 Tbs. Irish whiskey
For the coffee cake:
- 8 Tbs. (1 stick) (4 oz./125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (7 oz./200 g) sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups (9 oz./250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2/3 cup (5 fl. oz./160 ml) whole buttermilk
- 1/3 cup (3 fl. oz./80 ml) Irish whiskey
- 3 Tbs. espresso powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. coffee extract
For the espresso sugar (optional):
- 1 cup (7 oz./200 g) sugar
- 1 Tbs. espresso powder
Directions
To make the Irish whiskey streusel, in a food processor, combine the flour, brown sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon and salt; pulse until combined. Add the butter and whiskey and pulse until pea-sized clumps form, about 10 times. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 9-inch (23-cm) square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper, letting the excess extend over the sides of the pan.
To make the coffee cake, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, whiskey, 2 Tbs. of the espresso powder, and the vanilla and coffee extracts until the espresso is dissolved.
With mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.
Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan and, using an offset spatula, spread it evenly. Sprinkle with half of the streusel mixture and the remaining 1 Tbs. espresso powder. Top with the remaining batter and spread it gently with the offset spatula, taking care not to blend the streusel into the batter too much. Crumble the remaining streusel mixture over the batter, squeezing it with your fingers to form larger clumps.
Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely in the pan.
In a food processor, combine the sugar and espresso powder. Process until thoroughly combined and uniform in color.
Dust the coffee cake with the espresso sugar, if desired. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Makes one 9-inch (23-cm) cake; serves 8.
Recipe credit: Hoffman Media