Vietnamese Ice Coffee Cake
Vietnamese Ice Coffee Cake. This cake takes direct inspiration from the glorious Vietnamese beverage of the same name! Sweet, milky, and strong in caffeine, this cake has everything you love about Vietnamese Ice Coffee, plus some chocolate ganache or good measure. This is a moist coffee cake, with silky chocolate ganache. Itโs topped with coffee and chocolate flavored sweetened condensed milk frosting that is so smooth and delicious.

Nick’s favorite thingโฆ

I love how the hit of coffee in this cake. Itโs so yum! This cake is moist, and the chocolate ganache in the center pairs perfectly with this cake. Plus it’s coffee, right? So cake for breakfast makes sense!
What does Vietnamese Ice Coffee Cake taste like?
Coffee! The sponge is vanilla and coffee flavored. Itโs filled with a silky smooth chocolate ganache which is made with dark chocolate so not too sweet. The cake is covered in a sweetened condensed milk frosting that is flavored with coffee and chocolate. The chocolate frosting is really easy to make using my chocolate sauce recipe!
What are the ingredients I need?
- All-purpose flour – also known as plain flour.
- Baking powder – this will help the cake rise.
- Salt – I used fine salt.
- Unsalted butter – make sure itโs softened.
- Brown sugar – dark or light is fine.
- Vanilla bean paste – always use good quality vanilla extract. It makes all the difference.
- Eggs – I used large eggs. Youโll use whole eggs for the cake and egg whites for the frosting. Make sure you donโt get any egg yolks in the egg whites.
- Greek yoghurt – this helps make the cake moist.
- Coffee shot – if you donโt have a coffee machine you can easily make your own coffee shot using 2 tsp instant coffee with 2 tbsp of boiling water.
- Milk – I used cows milk.
- Dark chocolate – I use dark cooking chocolate. Nestle cooking buttons.
- Heavy cream – This is the type of cream you use for whipping.
- Instant coffee powder – Same as what you make your coffee with in the morning.
- Granulated Sugar – or caster sugar.
- Sweetened condensed milk – this can be found in the long-life milk section of your supermarket isle.
- Coffee beans – these are optional, but they look great on top.
Letโs go through each step.
Cake
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine. Set aside.
- Next, add the butter, brown sugar and vanilla bean paste to a large mixing bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each time and scraping down the bowl before each addition.
- Once fully mixed in, add the sour cream and coffee shot and mix.
- Then, add half the dry ingredients and wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until well combined.
- Add the remaining dry and wet and mix until well combined.
- Split the mixture between 2 cake tins. Bake for 45 minutes.
- Trim the tops off the cakes using a cake leveler or a serrated knife.
Chocolate Ganache
- Add the chocolate, cream and instant coffee powder to a large heat proof bowl and microwave for 20 seconds at a time,
- Stirring each time until smooth. Set aside to set completely at room temperature.
Sweetened Condensed Milk Frosting
- Fill a large pot one-quarter of the way with water. Let it come to a gentle boil over a mediumโhigh heat. Place a large heatproof bowl on top of the pot of boiling water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesnโt touch the water.
- Add the egg whites and sugar to the bowl. Gently whisk your egg white and sugar mixture for about 3โ4 minutes, or until the sugar is completely dissolved and you reach 72ยฐC / 160ยฐF.
- The best way to check that itโs dissolved is by running it through two fingers. If you canโt feel the sugar granules, then itโs time to take it off the heat. If you can feel the granules, continue whisking for another 2โ3 minutes and keep testing until you can no longer any granules.
- Take off the heat and add the salt and vanilla extract. Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Whip for 4โ5 minutes until thick and glossy.
- Gradually add the softened butter, 1 tbsp at a time, while the mixer is on high speed. At first, your egg whites will deflate and look like the butter is causing them to split, but donโt panic! It will come back together. It takes a couple of minutes for the butter and meringue to become best friends.
- Once you have added all the butter, add the sweetened condensed milk and mix first on low speed to combine, then on high speed for 5 minutes. Youโll know itโs done when the frosting has come together, has turned pale in color (if youโre making vanilla) and is nice and fluffy.
- Split the frosting into three bowls. Add a coffee shot one bowl and mix until well combined.
- Add the chocolate sauce to another bowl and repeat. Leave the third bowl as white frosting.
Letโs decorate!
- Add a little bit of chocolate ganache to a serving plate or cake board and spread using a spatula.
- Next, Add the first layer of cake and gently press down to stick to the plate or board.
- Add 1/2 of the ganache on top of the first layer and spread around using a spatula.
- Then add the next layer of cake.
- Then cover the cake in the remaining ganache. Spread around as evenly as you can. Place in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.
- Use 3/4 of the vanilla frosting to cover the cake. Spread around as smoothly as you can. A bench scraper may help with this. Especially with getting sharp edges.
- The next part is about having fun with layering! Use a spatula to spread the coffee frosting on the top and bottom sides of the cake.
- Then go over that with the chocolate frosting.
- Finish by spreading swirls of chocolate sauce on top.
- Fit the end of a piping bag with a 6B piping top and add the remaining 1/4 white frosting. Pipe swirls on top of the cake.
- Sprinkle with coffee beans.
My Top Tips!
- Layering the cake is all about having fun and patience. Use a spatula or the back of a teaspoon to create your masterpiece!
- Make sure you let the ganache set at room temperature so that it retains its spreadable consistency. Otherwise, it will be too stiff to spread around. If it does get too stiff, microwave for 10 seconds and mix using a spatula until itโs spreadable.
- Using a bench scraper to get nice smooth cake edges when spreading the frosting.
Gave this a go? Donโt forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok for more great recipes!
Other Recipes You Might Like!
- Chocolate Poke Cake – ultimate, indulgent chocolate cake!
- Passionfruit And Chocolate Cake – Super indulgent and perfect for chocolate lovers who want a slight fresh tang!
- Slutty Brownies – This is the ultimate brownie! And no, I didnโt choose the name.
- Giant Matilda Cake – Exactly the same as the one from the movie!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @thescranline on Facebook and Instagram!
Vietnamese Ice Coffee Cake
Serves 30
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 3/4 cups / 645 g all-purpose flour
- 4 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp fine salt
- 3/4 cup / 190 g unsalted butter
- 1 3/4 cups / 400 g brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tbsp greek yogurt, or sour cream
- 1 coffee shot, (40ml)
- 2 1/4 cups / 560 ml milk
Chocolate Ganache
- 2 3/4 cups / 500 g dark chocolate
- 1 cup / 250 ml heavy cream
- 1 tsp / 40 ml instant coffee powder
Sweetened Condensed Milk Frosting
- 6 / 350 g large egg whites
- 1 cup / 200 g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups / 500 g unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml sweetened condensed milk
- 1 / 40 ml coffee shot, (40ml)
- 3/4 cup / 190 ml chocolate sauce
- 20 coffee beans
Learn How To Make it! [VIDEO]
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat a fan-forced oven to 140ยฐC / 275ยฐFor a conventional oven to 160ยฐC / 320ยฐF. Spray two 20 cm (8 inch) cake tins with oil spray and line the bottoms with baking paper. Set aside.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine. Set aside.
- Add the butter, brown sugar and vanilla bean paste to a large mixing bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each time and scraping down the bowl before each addition. Once fully mixed in, add the sour cream and coffee shot, half the dry ingredients and wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until well combined. Then add the remaining dry and wet and mix until well combined.
- Split the mixture between 2 cake tins. Bake for 45 minutes. Once baked, allow to cool for 5 minutes, before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. I like to wrap mine in plastic wrap once they reach room temperature and then chill in the fridge overnight.
- Trim the tops off the cakes using a cake leveler or a serrated knife.
Chocolate Ganache
- Add the chocolate, cream and instant coffee powder to a large heat proof bowl and microwave for 20 seconds at a time, stirring each time until smooth. Set aside to set completely at room temperature.
Sweetened Condensed Milk Frosting
- Fill a large pot one-quarter of the way with water. Let it come to a gentle boil over a mediumโhigh heat. Place a large heatproof bowl on top of the pot of boiling water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesnโt touch the water.
- Add the egg whites and sugar to the bowl.Gently whisk your egg white and sugar mixture for about 3โ4 minutes, or until the sugar is completely dissolved and you reach 72ยฐC / 160ยฐF.
- The best way to check that itโs dissolved is by running it through two fingers. If you canโt feel the sugar granules, then itโs time to take it off the heat. If you can feel the granules, continue whisking for another 2โ3 minutes and keep testing until you can no longer any granules.
- Take off the heat and add the salt and vanilla extract. Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to whip for 4โ5 minutes until thick and glossy.
- Gradually add the softened butter, 1tablespoon at a time, while the mixer is on high speed. At first, your egg whites will deflate and look like the butter is causing them to split, but donโt panic! It will come back together. It takes a couple of minutes for the butter and meringue to become best friends.
- Once you have added all the butter, add the vanilla extract and sweetened condensed milk and mix first on low speed to combine, then on high speed for 5 minutes. Youโll know itโs done when the frosting has come together, has turned pale in color (if youโre making vanilla)and is nice and fluffy. If you find your frosting is too aerated, then mix at the lowest speed for about 10 minutes and it will become perfectly smooth again. Alternatively, you can microwave it for 5-10 seconds and use a spatula to gently mix together.
- Split the frosting into three bowls. Add a coffee shot one bowl and mix until well combined. Add the chocolate sauce to another bowl and repeat. Leave the third bowl as white frosting.
Let's Decorate!
- Add a little bit of chocolate ganache to a serving plate or cake board and spread using a spatula. Add the first layer of cake and gently press down to stick to the plate or board.
- Add 1/2 of the ganache on top of the first layer and spread around using a spatula. Add the next layer of cake and then cover the cake in the remaining ganache. Spread around as evenly as you can.Place in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.
- Use 3/4 of the vanilla frosting to cover the cake. Spread around as smoothly as you can. A bench scraper may help with this. Especially with getting sharp edges.
- The next part is about having fun with layering! Use a spatula to spread the coffee frosting on the top and bottom sides of the cake. Then go over that with the chocolate frosting. Finish by spreading swirls of chocolate sauce on top.
- Fit the end of a piping bag with a 6B piping top and add the remaining 1/4 white frosting. Pipe swirls on top of the cake. Sprinkle with coffee beans.
4 comments
You are so wonderful! How much I love this cake and i feel very much happy when you love Vietnamese’s coffee. Thanks you very much and you’re always welcome to Vietnam.
Aww thanks for the lovely comments! N x
Si lo hice, sabe delicioso, gracias por compartir tus recetas
Thanks so much Diana! N x