Moist Coffee Loaf Cake! This is an absolutely delicious soft, moist cake, easy to make and goes perfect with a lovely cup of coffee too! This Coffee Cake is a lovely easy, simple recipe and full of flavor. The aroma when this is baking is really out of this world!

Once you've tried this Classic Coffee Loaf Cake recipe, I am sure you will make it time and time again. This moist coffee loaf cake is perfect with a nice cup of tea or coffee, bake a few and give them as gifts or take along to coffee mornings with your friends. They will enjoy a slice I'm sure!

This is absolutely delicious! It has a rich coffee flavor and is so simple and easy to make, yet the cake has such a luxurious and decadent flavor, your family and friends will think you spent ages making this!
This coffee cake recipe has a soft, fluffy texture, similar to what you would find in a coffee bread recipe, but it's definitely more buttery and rich with a great cake crumb texture.
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Cut a few slices to serve for afternoon tea, or for after dinner with a cup of coffee.
In this recipe, you will find out how to make the perfect coffee cake. It's so easy and the recipe is in simple steps for you to follow.
We've also made a coffee flavored walnut cake with a coffee cream cheese frosting, oh it's so good! See our Coffee Walnut Cake recipe. It's delicious!
How do you put coffee in a cake?
The recipe is very similar to a traditional pound cake, so we have the regular ingredients, flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. Then we infuse some delicious coffee flavor into the cake and there you have a coffee-flavored cake.
The simplest way to make a cake coffee flavored is to use instant coffee, as we have done in this recipe, and add it to the cake batter.
What can I use instead of instant coffee in a recipe?
You may want to use something else instead of instant coffee. You can use a finely ground espresso. Make sure it is very fine ground, so that the grains don't create a crunchy grainy texture in the cake.
If you make freshly brewed coffee, make it very strong and drop the milk quantity in the recipe down to ½ cup and use ¼ cup of your very strong brewed coffee.
I don't drink instant coffee at home, however, I buy the small individual sachets of instant coffee from the supermarket. I use those for baking as they're convenient to have in my store cupboard.
If you'd like to make a couple of cakes, and perhaps one without coffee, try our easy vanilla loaf cake recipe. It's such a popular recipe and we use it as our basic pound cake recipe.
What makes the cake moist and fluffy?
In order to get a cake moist and fluffy, you need to make sure you incorporate the butter and sugar really well. This is called the creaming method, as you will see in step 3 of the instructions.
You need to beat the butter and sugar until you see it changes to a much paler color and the mixture looks a lot fluffier. This tells you there is lots of air in the mixture which will, in turn, give you a fluffier cake.
I make sure the butter is at room temperature as the creaming of the batter is a lot quicker and easier. Once that part is done, you can add the remaining ingredients.
Can I freeze coffee cake?
Yes! It's freezer-friendly so you could make a loaf and slice then freeze if you are baking for one or two people. That way, you'll always have some handy when you get the urge for a slice of cake!
Just make sure you wrap in plastic wrap and an airtight bag and then bring to room temperature when you want to serve. I sometimes bake a loaf and cut in half or slices, freeze some and eat some!
You can also bake this in round pans, muffin pans etc. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly. For this moist coffee loaf cake, you can also make in 2 round pans and add some frosting in between the layers and on top. Turn it into a birthday cake if you wish!
You can also add chopped walnuts or pecans, such as in our coffee pecan pound cake.
You will need a loaf tin, mine measures 30cm x 12cm and 8cm deep. (12-inch pan) .The batter will also fit in a 9-inch loaf pan.
Please note cook times will vary if you are not using a regular loaf pan.
So let's find out how to make a coffee cake in you can have it baked and ready to serve in just a few simple steps. Please enjoy!
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
55 minutes
Ingredients You'll Need
- 225 g or 1 ¾ cups Plain / All purpose flour (sieved)
- 2 Teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ Teaspoon salt
- 175 g or ¾ cup softened butter
- 200 g or 1 cup regular sugar
- ⅔ Cup or 150 ml Milk
- 2 Large eggs (lightly beaten)
- 4 Teaspoons of coffee granules dissolved in 1 Tablespoon hot water.
NOTE: Where possible when baking cakes, please use digital scales as opposed to cup measures as this is more accurate and will give you better results.
Variations
I've also made this recipe and added 3 RIPE mashed bananas and the combination with the coffee flavor is lovely!
UPDATE: For those wishing to use bananas, be sure you use a STRONG DARK ROAST blend of coffee, otherwise you won’t be able to taste it in combination with the banana flavors.
Add Nuts, such as walnuts, pecans or macadamia nuts to the cake batter for an added crunchy texture.
Instructions
1. Heat oven to 170c, 325F. Grease and line your baking tin. See here for how to line.

If you don't have time or run out of parchment paper, you can use our homemade miracle pan release recipe. It's incredibly quick to make.
2. Get all your ingredients ready, i.e dissolve the coffee, sieve the flour, and add the salt and baking powder to the flour etc.

3. Start with making the cake batter by creaming the butter and sugar until a pale light color.

4. Slowly add the beaten eggs to the mixer, on a low-speed setting, a bit at a time.
If the mixture starts to curdle or split, add a spoonful of your sieved flour, keep on adding the eggs, and a bit of flour if necessary until all the eggs are added.
5. Keeping the mixer on a slow speed, add the coffee mixture, milk and the rest of the flour.
6 Transfer the cake mixture to the greased and lined loaf tin.

Place in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes, check to see if it is cooked, using a skewer. Every oven varies, so keep an eye on your cake!
7. Have a cup of tea! Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.
You can also freeze half or all of it, wrap in parchment paper, then place in a zippy bag. Defrost as normal and enjoy! It will still be moist. And there you have our Moist Coffee Loaf Cake!

We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our Moist Coffee Loaf Cake recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

Recipe Card

Moist Coffee Loaf Cake
The BEST Classic coffee cake recipe, rich coffee flavor, delicious, perfect for afternoon tea or after dinner with coffee. Easy, coffee flavored loaf
Ingredients
- 225 g or 1 ¾ cups Plain / All purpose flour (sieved)
- 2 Teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ Teaspoon salt
- 175 g or ¾ cup softened butter
- 200 g or 1 cup regular sugar
- ⅔ Cup or 150 ml Milk
- 2 Large eggs (lightly beaten)
- 4 Teaspoons of coffee granules dissolved in 1 Tablespoon hot water.
Instructions
- Heat oven to 170C, 325F. Grease and line your baking tin. See here for how to line.
- Get all your ingredients ready, i.e dissolve the coffee, sieve the flour, and add the salt and baking powder to the flour etc.
- Start with making the cake batter by creaming the butter and sugar until a pale light color.
- Slowly add the beaten eggs to the mixer, on a low-speed setting, a bit at a time. If the mixture starts to curdle or split, add a spoonful of your sieved flour, keep on adding the eggs, and a bit of flour if necessary until all the eggs are added.
- Keeping the mixer on a slow speed, add the coffee mixture, milk and the rest of the flour.
- Transfer the cake mixture to the greased and lined loaf tin. Then place in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes. Check to see if it is cooked, using a skewer. Every oven varies, so keep an eye on your cake!
- Have a cup of tea!
- Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container. You can also freeze half or all of it, wrap in parchment paper, then place in a zippy bag. Defrost as normal and enjoy! It will still be moist.
Recommended Products
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Nescafe Instant Coffee Sticks 25 sticks 1.76oz (Espresso)
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MEYKISS Cake Tester, Stainless Steel Cake Tester Probe Skewer Kitchen Baking Tools, Set of 2
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Boxiki Kitchen Silicone Pound Cake Baking Pan Professional Non-Stick Pound Mold for Baking Pound Cake, Bread | FDA Approved Silicone w/Heavy Grade Steel Frame and Handles
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Walfos Nonstick Silicone Bread and Loaf Pan Set of 2, BPA Free ! Without Chemical Coating,Just Pop Out! Easy release and baking mold for Homemade Cakes, Breads, Meatloaf and quiche.
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Honey-Can-Do 2592 Paper Loaf Pan, 25-Pack, 8-Inches x 2.5-Inches x 2-Inches
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Nordic Ware 90248 Citrus Blossom Loaf, One Size, Copper
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White Disposable Loaf Bread Baking Liners (Pack of 2, 24 Liners Total) Rectangle, Non-Stick Paper Liners For Baking, Kitchen Tools For Baking Cake & Bread
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YXTHON Portable Plastic Rectangular Loaf Bread Box with Transparent Lid, Bread Keeper for Carrying and Storing Loaf Cakes Bread Box, Bread Keeper, Container Server
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 317Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 334mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 5g
Loaf Cake Recipes
Here's a delicious selection of pound or loaf cake recipes for you to enjoy
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Strawberry and Lemon Loaf Cake.
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Easy Cinnamon Swirl Loaf. A moist, soft, and delicious tasting loaf cake, perfect with a morning coffee! This is a wonderful no yeast, quick bread recipe, full of flavor, soft and fluffy, and really easy to make too.
Moist Caramel and Apple Loaf .... ABSOLUTELY Delicious!
Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake, a delicious soft and moist loaf bursting with juicy blueberries! Perfect with a cup of tea
Banana and Walnut Loaf Cake. A delicious, very easy and moist cake, and smells so good when it's baking too!
Lemon and Poppy Seed Loaf.
This is truly a delightful cake. The flavors are gentle, the cake is soft and moist and of course, looks so pretty with the addition of poppy seeds sprinkled throughout the cake
Moist Chocolate Almond Pound Cake. Delicious, rich chocolate cake with added melted chocolate and ground almonds to take this cake to another level of deliciousness!
Spiced Pecan Carrot Cake! This has got to be the World's best carrot cake.
Fluffy, soft and bursting with the flavors of Fall! Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas holidays!
Dolly's Chocolate Chip Cake. Very easy recipe and a family favorite. Makes two loaves so perfect for gifts or freezing too.
Nutella Banana Loaf. Delicious, soft pound cake with banana and Nutella chocolate. Easy recipe and very popular. Great tasting cake
Sam
says:You don’t say when to add the salt or baking powder in the step by step instructions
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Sam, thanks for writing in. You’ll see that in step 2 of the instructions. Hope that helps!
Rebecca
says:My family loved this cake! At first, the batter seemed too thick and I was worried it wouldn’t turn out well. However, it was super moist yet light, with not too strong of a coffee taste. I actually did half of the sugar suggested and it was just right for me. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Katie
says:How big a loaf tin does it make, my loaf tin is 21x11cm.
Verónica
says:Made the Moist Coffee Loaf with walnuts and loved it. Served warm with some cream cheese on top for a more festive dessert was a plus.
Chris A
says:This came out beautifully. Although I went for the banana version with added walnut ?
Jessica Baker
says:I followed this recipe to the letter, and still had to throw the resulting cake away. Way too much butter! I’m very upset at the waste. I’m a good baker, but this recipe is totally flawed.
Kerrin
says:I just made this for the second time and it is perfect.
Joclyn
says:You don’t need to waste food like that. Just throw the whole thing back into the mixing bowl and add some flour and leavening until you think it’s the right consistency. You should end up with nearly double what you started with. Just be creative.
Diane
says:Well that’s an hour and a half of my life that I’ll never get back, not even a cuppa and a piece of cake to console myself….The cakes moist coffee cake……sorry, I’ll correct myself, the dense and heavy coffee cake is in the bin !!!!
Emma
says:How rude. You obviously went wrong somewhere as mine was perfect! Like a workman blames his tools for a cr@p job….don’t blame the recipe for a cr@p job.
Anji
says:Agreed, no need to be that rude. Mine wasn’t perfect but I assume it’s something I did wrong rather than blaming the recipe. After all, everyone makes mistakes at some time or another. In my case I think I tried to rush it and didn’t take enough time to mix it properly
Lynda
says:Moist Cofee Loaf turned out a disaster. Mixture far too sloppy, cake very heavy. Gone in the bin. Won’t be making again .
Josephine Ajih
says:I made the cake and it came out wonderful and as dark as the one in the picture.
I want to try it in double recipe cus everybody wants more. Hope it comes out as nice as the previous 2 I have made so far. I even mixed my milk with a bit of evaporated milk to give a richer flavour.
Gillian Pietroni
says:Is 170c for the temperature of the oven fan or otherwise
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Gillian, yes it’s fam temperature
Anji
says:Oh……I didn’t realise the temperature was for a fan oven, could this be why my cake took a lot longer to bake ( I measured all the ingredients very carefully) and turned out beautifully soft but crumbly?
Vivian
says:I think this post is labeled incorrectly. It should be “moist butter loaf cake” instead. I cannot comprehend how your images show such a dark loaf cake when you add such miniscule amounts of coffee in your recipe.
I normally don’t write reviews, but I really wish I knew this before I wasted my time and ingredients.
If this is something you like great. But just warning other bakers out there.
Sorry, not sorry.
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Vivian, sorry to hear the cake isn’t what you expected. I use a strong coffee, and whilst the quantity seems small in the recipe, it certainly has a strong coffee flavor and also makes the cake exactly the color you see in the photos.
Perhaps I can suggest you try using an espresso type coffee to make it stronger in flavor and color.
Rhys Pickup
says:Terrible recipe, i have been working in the kitchen industry for 13 years so i know what im doing and how to make a cake, i tried it 3 times because i thought i was doing something wrong and they all turned out overly moist and very heavy, i have indegestion now!
Gena
says:You state coffee GRANULES so we should the recipe state INSTANT coffee? Regular coffee grounds will not dissolve.
Margaret
says:Oh dear! Do people not actually READ a recipe that is new to them? I really believe that “coffee granules” clearly indicate instant coffee granules, not ground coffee!
Carol
says:Delicious and moist, just like it says. I was sceptical when I made the batter as it was sloppy. But it turned out great. I used the all in one method, rather than creaming the sugar and butter together as I’m a bit lazy?. It also curdled slightly, but that didn’t matter once it had baked. Next time I may try espresso rather than instant coffee for a stronger coffee flavour, and I will slice it in half and add coffee butter icing. Yum yum. And many thanks. Carol from the U.K.
Christine
says:Just made the cake, it’s moist alright but the colour is not as dark. I used self raising flour.
Cheryl Christiansen
says:tried this recipe 2x the ingredients are not correct in both spots on the blog and no way it looks like that! disappointed