Espresso Bundt Cake

As much as I adore baking, there are weeks I don’t have a moment’s rest between the cooking, photoshoots, and blogging. 

In those instants, I don’t find myself reaching for a recipe book. I turn to an old friend – a simple cake recipe that never fails to amaze me, no matter how many times I use it. 

The espresso bundt cake is a version of that recipe. The sight, the scent, the sound, and the feel of the cake soak all the senses. And, by the way, that happens before I even think about its taste. 

The espresso bundt cake is that glorious. It has pockets of coffee in the batter that make it the best cake for coffee-lovers. If you’re a tea-lover (like me), trust me, the cake is for you too!

Tricks to Baking a Bundt Cake

For a long time, baking with a bundt pan gave me the jitters. If you see my whole wheat banana oat bread and vegan vanilla sponge cake photos, you’ll get why.

No matter how hard I tried, I could never get the cake out without the sides sticking to the pan. It was while I was making the rosemary lemon olive oil cake that I stumbled upon three tips.

They have become my eternal saving grace. So, before I dive into how to make the espresso bundt cake, let’s get the tricks out of the way. Because you’re going to need them!

• Use your hands to grease the bundt pan really well. When you think ‘oh, that enough,’ do it 1 more time. 

Why hands? Because a brush never coats the many curves of the bundt pan equally well. 

• Sift some flour on the sides of the bundt pan once you’re done greasing. If you don’t want to do that, double grease the pan. 
• When you begin pouring the batter, first do it around the flute. Make sure it’s even. Then fill the rest of the bundt pan. With a knife, level the batter before baking so that the cake doesn’t have bumps on its base. 

How to Make Espresso Bundt Cake?

Start by sifting all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and instant coffee powder. I had a packet of amaranth flour lying around for the longest spell, so I added a bit of it. 

Plus, all-purpose flour gives a very smooth finish. I wished for a more textured feel, and earthy amaranth imparts just that, giving the entire cake more depth. 

In a separate bowl, beat eggs with brown sugar till it’s nice and frothy. Then add coconut oil and vanilla extract. 

The next step – folding the dry and wet ingredients – happens in stages. Essentially, you alternate between the dry ingredients and milk. Here’s how you do it:

• You add a small portion of the dry ingredients (flour mixture) into the wet, followed by some milk.
• Then you mix some more of the dry ingredients, followed again by milk. 
• Finally, you fold in all the leftover dry ingredients.

The espresso bundt cake batter is now ready. I sprinkled some chocolate chips to give the cake a gooey verve, but it’s entirely optional. 

Pour the thick batter into a bundt cake using all the three tricks and then bake. 

Quick notes

I made a dairy-free espresso bundt cake for my lactose-intolerant keister. But instead of almond milk, you can utilize regular milk. 

All-purpose flour can be easily replaced with whole wheat flour. Coconut oil can be substituted with any neutral-tasting oil. 

I used two heaps full of coffee, but there is no harm in going lighter. Or stronger. You'll have to adjust the sugar accordingly.

I didn’t load the batter with chocolate chips, just enough to get that classic pairing of coffee and chocolate right. You can add more chocolate chunks. Or switch them with almonds or walnuts. Or keep the bundt cake plain. 

Also, the cake rose very, very well. So, if you don’t have a bundt pan, an 8" or9" square or round pan will work magnificently.

Make the coffee glaze

While the cake is baking, make the coffee glaze by mixing icing sugar with milk. Add a teeny amount of instant coffee powder to give the glaze a hint of the roasted, nutty flavor. 

Let the espresso bundt cake cool completely in the pan, and it will loosen. Using a butter knife, pry it out from the tin and then top it with the glaze. 

Serving the espresso bundt cake

The beauty of a bundt cake is that they need no adornment. They are utterly pleasing to the eye as-is. But if your heart is set on something fancier, a quick oozy glaze takes it up a notch.

I garnished the glaze with cacao nibs and called it a day. But the cake honestly didn’t need any of it. When you take the first espresso-spiked bite, you’ll see why. 

The cake is your caffeine hit in a delicious, gorgeous form. The tender, moist, and fluffy crumb works marvelously with the deep, earthy molasses of brown sugar and the slight sweetness of the glaze. 

Full disclosure, the espresso bundt cake has a sophisticated and more grown-up taste that went down splendidly with my family. I think some of us will be eating a slice of it in place of our evening coffee from now on!

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