Coffee Maple Pound Cake
New fave flavor combo right here!
Remember last week when I shared my ridiculously easy version of iced coffee? That is exactly what inspired this pound cake! I just can’t get over the deliciousness of the combo of maple and coffee, so I’ve been coming up with extra tasty ways to enjoy it. Plus, you can eat this for breakfast with a maple macchiato for ultimate maple-coffee-flavored nirvana.
This will make your house smell incredible for not just hours, but days. When Mikey got home from work the day I made this, he was like, “Mmm! It smell like homemade waffles!”
It’s true, the maple scent is super duper strong; however, the taste is equal parts coffee and maple. There actually is zero maple syrup in the pound cake, and all the maple flavor and aroma comes from just 2 teaspoons of maple extract.
This is definitely a sweet cake, but in my opinion, all pound cakes should be. When I eat it for breakfast or brunch, I like to pair it with a simple shot of espresso to balance everything out. If you want to serve it for dessert, I HIGHLY recommend slicing a pice off, popping it in the toaster, and serving it with a scoop of ice cream—heavenly. Just trust me on that whole toasting thing.
By the way, see those Russian stacking dolls in the photo below? Those are measuring cups! How cute are they?!
If you’re baking this in a pan with heavy design like mine, you want to make sure to grease it super well. I use both butter and cooking spray, and then dust the whole thing with flour. There’s nothing worse than going to invert your cake and having large chunks of it stick to the pan. Another thing that helps is to just leave it inverted onto a plate for hours while it cools, so it can kinda fall on out on its own time.
PrintCoffee Maple Pound Cake
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 3 cups sifted cake flour (sift before measuring)
- 3/4 tsp iodized salt
- 2 tsp instant espresso granules
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 7 large eggs
- 2 tsp maple extract
- 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup espresso or strong coffee, cooled
- confectioners' sugar, to dust (optional)
Directions:
- Generously butter a 10-cup bundt or tube pan. Spray with non-stick spray. Sprinkle four over the pan, tilt it around to cover, and knock out the extra.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and espresso granules; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar for 5-10 minutes, until pale and fluffy (closer to 5 minutes for softened butter, and 10 for cold butter). Add in the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the maple extract. Scrape down the paddle and bowl and add in the flour mixture, sour cream, and espresso. Mix on medium speed until combined. Stir it a few times with a spatula to ensure it's mixed fully.
- Carefully pour into the prepared pan and bang it a few times on the counter to dislodge any air bubbles. Place on the middle rack in a cold oven. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees, and set your timer for 75 minutes. Check the cake for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer into the center---a few moist crumbs should cling to it.
- Run a knife around the edge of the cake as best you can. Invert onto a rack or platter and leave it to cool. Once cool, take the pan off. Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar.
I would not have come up with the idea to combine maple and coffee, but now that I think about it, this cake sounds like a great way to combine quintessential breakfast-y flavors!
Rachael replied: — March 10th, 2015 @ 7:52 pm
It’s totally my new favorite pairing! It seems so obvious, and yet it never even crossed my mind until recently.
This looks so delicious!! Yum!!!!
Rachael replied: — March 11th, 2015 @ 11:43 am
Thanks, Liz!
This pound cake is beyond gorgeous, Rachael! Maple flavor is one of my favorite things on the planet, but combined with coffee too?! I die. This is SO stunning and I can practically taste it’s richness now!
Rachael replied: — March 11th, 2015 @ 11:44 am
Thank you, Sarah! Don’t you love when you can get away with eating dessert-y foods for breakfast? š