Ultimate Coffee Marble Butter Cake

Coffee is such an essential "ingredient" to start off most of our mornings. Although I am not one of those that needs a cup in order to kick start the day, I do still enjoy a good cup of coffee. In fact, I am rather particular on the coffee flavour, its acidity and aftertaste.

I was glad that ESSENSO™ MicroGround Coffee was introduced to me recently, especially since my busy schedule meant that I needed my coffee to be convenient and, at the same time, good. ESSENSO™ MicroGround Coffee is a blend of finely ground coffee and premium soluble instant coffee that is made from 100% Arabica coffee beans which deliver a deeper aroma and richer taste. It is now available in major hyper and supermarkets.

Currently ESSENSO™ MicroGround Coffee comes in 3in1 and 2in1 variants. Personally I enjoy each one of these coffees at different times. When I have cakes or pastries, I will opt for ESSENSO™ MicroGround Coffee 2in1. Do try!

To further enjoy this coffee, I created a recipe using ESSENSO™ MicroGround Coffee. I call it the Ultimate Coffee Marble Butter Cake. This delicious butter cake will not only attract the coffee lovers, it will even make the non-coffee drinkers crave for more.

I wanted a recipe that everyone can recreate at home. It is simple and yet special enough to wow your friends and family when you present this to them. So let's check out what we need.

Ingredients for Ultimate Coffee Marble Butter Cake (makes an 8" by 8")

Main Batter

250 g unsalted butter at room temperature

80 g caster sugar

1 packet of ESSENSO™ MicroGround Coffee 2in1

4 large egg yolks

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean from 1 vanilla pod)

1/2 tsp salt

230 g cake flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

100 ml buttermilk

4 large egg whites

80 g caster sugar

"Marble" batter

2 tbsp heated water

2 packets of ESSENSO™ MicroGround Coffee 2in1

1 tsp quality unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Valrohna)

• In a large mixing bowl, add butter, caster sugar and a pack of ESSENSO™ MicroGround Coffee 2in1 in. Beat till light and fluffy, about 10-12 minutes at medium speed.
• Next add in the egg yolks, one at a time. Making sure that each yolk is well beaten into the batter until well-combined. Repeat till all yolks are mixed in.

• Add in the vanilla bean or vanilla extract and continue to beat till thick and fluffy.

• Sift in the cake flour, salt and baking powder and beat at low speed till just combined.
• Finally, add in the buttermilk and beat till just combined as well.
• Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease and line a square 8" by 8" baking pan with parchment paper.
• In another mixing bowl, add in egg whites and the other 80 g of caster sugar. Beat the mixture till stiff peaks.

• In 3 separate portions, gently fold in the egg white batter to the main batter. Do not overmix.

• Reserve about 1/4 cup of the batter. Then pour the rest of the batter into the prepared baking pan.
• Next we prepare the "marble batter". Using a small bowl, heat up the 2 tbsp of water. Add in the cocoa powder and 2 packets of ESSENSO™ MicroGround Coffee 2in1.

• Mix well. You should get a thick paste. Add the paste to the reserved 1/4 cup cake batter and fold in till well-combined.

• Scoop dollops of the coffee cocoa batter over the main batter. Then using a toothpick, swirl the batter around to create marbling effect.

• No worries if the marbling effect is not as perfect. As long as the cake tastes great, that’s the most important.

• Bake in the preheated oven at 160C for 43-45 mins till the tester comes out clean.

The wonderful coffee aroma that fills the whole house was just amazing! Inhaling coffee! You guys should totally try it.

I actually enjoyed having this marble cake with a cup of ESSENSO™ MicroGround Coffee 2in1. It paired off perfectly!

Adding coffee in both the main batter and the "marble batter", making it truly the ultimate coffee cake.

A couple things to note while baking this cake:

1) Do not overmix the batter or it will yield a less fluffy and coarser texture.

2) Work with butter that is not too soft, meaning when you press it, it should yield slightly and not mushy.

In this way, when you beat with sugar, the batter will be lighter and fluffier.

3) Do not overbeat the egg white. Again if the egg white is overbeaten the overall texture of the cake will be coarser and might even "collapse".

So the next time you go shopping for that instant coffee, do give ESSENSO™ MicroGround Coffee a try. And do not forget to reserve that few packs to bake this cake too...just saying. :)