My mama is a coffee fiend, so for her 58th birthday, I baked her a cake that would give her the shakes for days. Following the beets with burrata starter and the roasted butternut squash risotto main, I served the birthday girl a caffeine-laced coffee cake with coffee frosting for dessert.

Originally developed by The Pioneer Woman, this two-layer cake is truly fit for a javaholic. Instant coffee grounds are called for in both the batter and the frosting—I really liked how the recipe didn’t include  any extraneous flavors or ingredients to compete for our attention. It was straight up coffee flavored, plain and simple.

On the technical front, the cake was very moist with a delicate crumb, while the frosting had a moreish quality about it. The flavors were reminiscent of Vietnamese cà phê sữa đá, with an extra shot of sweetened condensed milk.

For coffee cake

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• ¼ teaspoons salt
• 2 sticks butter
• 3 tablespoons instant coffee crystals
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

For coffee frosting

• 1 ½ stick butter
• 1 pound powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons instant coffee crystals
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons heavy cream

Make coffee cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two round baking pans. In a large bowl, mix sugar, flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside. Melt 2 sticks of butter in a pot over medium-low heat.

While the butter is melting, add 3 tablespoons of instant coffee to 1 cup of boiling water. Set aside.

Once the butter has melted, add the coffee mixture to it. Let the mixture come to a boil for about 10 seconds, then turn off the heat. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, add the buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

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