Coffee is the smart baker’s secret ingredient. Here’s how to use it.

Growing up, my mother made the same chocolate cake for every birthday celebration. She had to — my brother and I would have rioted if she tried to change it. The cake is obscenely chocolaty yet also light and fluffy, while pushing the limits on how moist a cake can be before it can no longer structurally withstand the buttercream frosting heaped on top. When she shared the recipe with me as an adult — I now bake it for my own two kids’ birthdays — I noticed a curious ingredient: a full cup of hot brewed coffee.

I should not have been surprised. Coffee can be a baker’s secret weapon, adding richness and a hint of acidity to a range of desserts and baked goods. Coffee is a “natural flavor amplifier,” explains pastry chef Helen Goh, author of the cookbook “Baking and the Meaning of Life.” “Its bitter notes cut through sugar and richness, which is useful when I want balance and complexity in a bake.” Coffee is particularly simpatico in chocolate recipes, where the coffee’s bitterness rounds out the chocolate flavor without overpowering it. “There’s a reason people say coffee and chocolate are a match made in heaven,” says Rose Hattabaugh, a senior recipe developer at Milk Street.

Whether you are a novice or experienced home baker, read on for three methods for successfully incorporating coffee into your dessert recipes.

Brewed coffee and espresso

Baking with brewed coffee or espresso, which introduces liquid into the recipe, can add luscious moisture to a finished baked good. You can use any brewing method you prefer, but aim for a strong cup so the coffee flavor can shine through. Meanwhile, there is a reason that my mother’s chocolate cake recipe called specifically for hot, rather than cooled, brewed coffee. “The hot liquid encourages the dry cocoa powder to bloom,” Hattabaugh says. The type of coffee you choose matters, too. “A dark roast will contribute a bold, bitter note, while a medium roast tends to be fruitier and more complex,” Goh says. “So match the roast to the dish you are creating for the best flavor.”

Many recipes, such as the traditional Jewish honey cake served around the High Holidays, rely on brewed coffee or espresso for flavor and textural enhancements. It’s a key ingredient in a classic Italian tiramisu.

“But even if a recipe doesn’t specifically call for coffee, you can often add it in,” Hattabaugh says. “If there’s a liquid in the cake, especially water, try substituting some or all with coffee.” Home bakers wanting to avoid caffeine can simply swap in decaf coffee; the switch does not noticeably affect the flavor.

Instant coffee and instant espresso

When it comes to my morning cup of coffee, I will always reach for freshly ground beans and my French press over instant coffee. But my caffeine snobbery ends at breakfast, because instant coffee (and espresso), dehydrated brewed coffee in the form of water-soluble granules, are magical baking ingredients. The shelf-stable coffee crystals dissolve readily, allowing bakers to add coffee flavor to some baked goods such as s’mores bars or chocolate Bundt cake.

One tip for using instant coffee effectively is to dissolve it before adding it to a recipe. If you stir it directly into a batter, frosting or whipped cream, it can leave unwanted dark streaks or spots. “I’ve made that mistake, and I don’t recommend it,” Hattabaugh says. “I like to combine the instant coffee with a tablespoon of boiling water in a small bowl and blend it into a paste,” she says.

Coffee extract

Like vanilla or almond extract, coffee extract is made by steeping the main ingredient, in this case coffee beans, in an alcohol- or water-based solvent. The resulting extract is highly concentrated. A few drops can deliver robust coffee flavor to frostings or ice cream, German chocolate cake or chocolate chip scones without changing the ratio of liquid in the recipe. “As a general rule, I use brewed coffee for depth and complexity, instant coffee for ease and convenience, and extract for targeted potency,” says Goh, who incorporated coffee extract into the frozen espresso parfait recipe she developed with Yotam Ottolenghi for their cookbook “Sweet.” “Just use it judiciously, as it can easily tip over in intensity. Start with a few drops and adjust incrementally.” Don’t have coffee extract? Try a splash of coffee-flavored liqueur, such as Tia Maria or Kahlua.

Goh also warns that coffee extracts vary in quality from brand to brand. “Some can taste a little ‘off’ or artificial, while others may lean overly bitter,” she says. When buying coffee extract, stick with trusted brands that don’t add superfluous ingredients such as caramel color or citric acid. Coffee extract has a long shelf life — up to two years — and can be stored at room temperature in your pantry.

Chocolate Bundt Cake

For the cake

1 cup (95 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

1 cup (240 milliliters) boiling water

1 cup (240 milliliters) whole or reduced-fat milk

2½ cups (310 grams) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon fine salt

1 cup (220 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar

½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

½ cup (120 milliliters) neutral oil, such as canola

8 tablespoons (1 stick/113 grams) unsalted butter, softened but cool to the touch

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs, at room temperature

For the optional glaze

3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder

2 tablespoons honey

Pinch fine salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons whole or reduced-fat milk, plus more as needed

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the cake: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Coat a large (10- to 15-cup/2.3- to 3.5-liter) Bundt pan with baking spray, or grease thoroughly with a thin layer of vegetable oil. Pay extra attention to the center tube, where sticking is especially likely.

In a medium bowl or 4-cup (1-liter) glass liquid measuring cup, whisk together the cocoa and espresso powders until combined. Pour in the boiling water, whisking again until thoroughly combined. The mixture will thicken and turn glossy, almost like pudding. Let cool slightly, then whisk in the milk until incorporated.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a large bowl and a handheld mixer, beat the brown and granulated sugars, oil and butter on medium speed until lightened in color, creamy and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl and attachment as needed. Still on medium, beat in the vanilla extract, then the eggs, one at a time, waiting until the first is incorporated before adding the second. Scrape down the bowl again. On low speed, gradually add half the cocoa powder mixture. The batter may look separated or curdled, but not to worry. After the liquid has been thoroughly mixed in, stop the mixer, add half the flour mixture and mix again on low until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Repeat with the remaining cocoa mixture and then the remaining flour mixture.

Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl once more. Turn the mixer back on to medium and beat for about 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and do one last scrape-and-stir with a flexible spatula to make sure there are no dry pockets or slicks of unincorporated butter on the sides or bottom of the bowl. The finished batter will be thick and glossy, almost like a soft pudding or mousse.

Scrape the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or offset spatula. Gently tap the pan a few times on the counter to pop any air pockets in the batter. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester (or wooden skewer) inserted into the center comes out clean. When pressed lightly with your finger, the cake should spring back a bit, but it may still feel very soft. That's OK; it will firm up as it cools.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let rest for 10 minutes. Use a small, flexible spatula or a round-edged knife to loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and then invert onto the rack. Let the cake cool completely.

Make the optional glaze: In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder, honey and salt. No need to stir, as it will come together smoothly once you add the remaining ingredients.

In a 2-cup (480-milliliter) glass liquid measuring cup, combine the butter and milk. Microwave on HIGH until the butter has melted, 30 seconds to 1 minute. The milk may foam, so keep an eye on it, pausing the microwave and stirring as needed. Pour the butter mixture into the cocoa powder mixture and whisk until glossy, smooth and well-combined. Whisk in the vanilla. It's possible that after whisking, the glaze will cool and thicken enough to not be pourable. If so, just pop it back into the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds on HIGH, or until it's glossy and thin enough to drizzle over the cake. You can heat it more or less depending on how much you want it to drip down the cake — warmer and it will go all the way down, slightly less hot and it will go slower and not as far. If it still seems on the thick side, thin with additional milk, as needed.

Drizzle the glaze around the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. If desired, use a spoon or offset spatula to push more of it over and down. Let the glaze set for about 30 minutes before cutting and serving, or storing.

Makes 14-16 servings.

Storage: The baked and glazed cake can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 4 days. Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Variations: This recipe can also be made as a loaf cake. For two loaves, use the ingredient amounts as written, but you can also halve them to make one loaf. We preferred the height of an 8½-by-4½-inch loaf pan, but a 9-by-5-inch pan will work, as well. Grease the loaf pan(s) with a thin layer of oil, then line with a piece of parchment paper cut to form a sling along the long sides of the pan. Proceed with the recipe as written (if you do two loaves, each pan will need about 720 grams of batter), baking for about 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting the cake out of the pan using the parchment sling. Glaze, if desired, as above.

To make this vegan, substitute nondairy milk and vegan butter (one-for-one swaps) in both the cake and glaze. Leave out the eggs, and beat 1½ teaspoons cider vinegar into the cake batter along with the vanilla. For the glaze, agave syrup can be used in place of the honey.

Nutrition information per serving, based on 16, with the glaze and using reduced-fat milk: Calories: 304 | Total Fat: 16 g | Saturated Fat: 6 g | Cholesterol: 43 mg | Sodium: 185 mg | Carbohydrates: 40 g | Dietary Fiber: 3 g | Sugar: 20 g | Protein: 5 g

— Becky Krystal, inspired by a 1997 Post recipe from cookbook author Marcy Goldman.