Tried to make a cake with leftover coffee instead of water

I had about a cup of cold brew left over from yesterday and thought, why not add it to a boxed chocolate cake mix for extra flavor? I swapped it in for the water, same amount. The batter looked fine, but after baking, the cake was SO dense and barely rose. It tasted okay, but the texture was like a brick. I learned that coffee is more acidic than water, and I think it messed with the leavening. Has anyone else tried this and gotten a better result? Maybe I should have adjusted the baking soda or something.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_viola17d ago

My cold brew brownie disaster last month had the same brick-like quality. The acid in coffee really does a number on box mix chemistry, doesn't it? Maybe we should both stick to just drinking the leftovers.

jamie_garcia2517d ago

Oh man, the "texture was like a brick" line got me. I feel that in my soul. My last kitchen experiment was trying to make brownies with diet soda, and let's just say I created a weird, sticky frisbee. I bet you're right about the acid messing with the rise. Maybe using a little less coffee and adding some extra baking powder could save it next time.