High Altitude Coffee Ginger Cake
A moist, tender and slightly dense cake flavored with ginger and espresso powder, frosted with swirls of vanilla and coffee molasses buttercream.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
- 8-inch cake pans (x3)
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (2 oz) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 8 oz block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp baking soda
- 1 can (14 oz) unsweetened full-fat coconut milk
- 3 tbsp espresso powder or instant coffee
Buttercream
- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp meringue powder, optional
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp espresso powder
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 2-4 tbsp old fashioned molasses (not blackstrap), optional
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar, butter and cream cheese for about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl and beat for another minute.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour, ginger, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- Stir the espresso powder into the coconut milk to dissolve.
- With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the coconut milk, starting and ending with the flour, mixing just until combined.
- Divide the batter between the pans. Bake for about 21-25 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Set the pans on a wire rack, covered loosely with a clean kitchen towel, until cooled completely.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth.
- Combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt, and add by spoonfuls to the mixing bowl while mixing on low, then add the vanilla.
- Whip the buttercream on medium high, stopping to scrape the bowl down occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Remove 3/4 cup of the vanilla buttercream to a separate bowl, cover the bowl, and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the espresso powder and cream, until the espresso is dissolved. Add the espresso, cream and molasses to the remainder of the buttercream, and beat for 1-2 minutes until well combined.
- Stack, fill and frost the cooled cakes with the espresso buttercream. Dab some of the reserved vanilla buttercream onto the frosted cake and use a small offset spatula to lightly swirl it in, leaving visible streaks of brown and white.
Notes
Leftover cake should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or cake carrier, for up to 3 days.
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