Imagine a traditional vanilla pound cake, but every bite is bursting with the perfect amount of coffee flavor. Then, top that cake with a classic icing also bursting with coffee goodness. That’s this cake.
Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
Cream together the butter and sugar for two minutes.
Add the eggs, vanilla, coffee, and sour cream and mix for another two minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and lightly mix with a rubber spatula before switching to the hand mixer and beating until fully combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread even.
Bake for 1 hour or until a butter knife comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.
Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Stir together the glaze ingredients until fully combined. You will still see some spot of undissolved coffee, that’s ok, you want that!
Drizzle over the top of the cake. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
You can use Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream, if need be, although sour cream does the best job.
This cake will turn out a little dark around the outside, but that’s ok, it’s just from the coffee. However, cooking it low and slow will keep it from burning, so don’t bake at 350 degrees like most cakes.
If you like the icing, but don’t want to have coffee flavor added to it, simply don’t add the instant coffee and it will be a traditional icing like you serve over cinnamon rolls.
I baked this in a metal pan and a glass pan. It baked well in both, but took a lot longer in the glass pan. It took about 20 minutes longer. I feel it cooked more evenly in the metal pan. In other words, for the best results, go with a metal pan, although it will turn out yummy in a glass pan as well.
I tested this recipe with both salted and unsalted butter. Both worked great, so I don’t see a reason why you couldn’t use either.
If you use plain yogurt in place of sour cream, the cake will turn out flatter, if that is something you desire. A flatter cake is easier for things like ice cream cakes and decorating, if that’s something of interest.
Don't shortchange the first two mixing steps. Really mix those ingredients well. It makes for a better cake.