Caffeine remains heat-stable up to 460°F (238°C), a temperature higher than the typical range used for cooking and baking, which is 300 to 425°F (149 to 220 °C). That means recipes containing coffee, tea, or espresso powder do have some caffeine. However, the amount is typically less than half a cup of coffee’s worth per serving, well under the daily limit of 400 milligrams for adults.
As a baker and recipe developer, I love tricks that boost the flavor in whatever I’m making. I often add a touch of coffee—either instant powder or brewed—to chocolate desserts such as fudge brownies and chocolate skillet cake. Coffee’s bitterness enhances the chocolate’s flavor, resulting in a more intense-tasting dessert.
Most of the time, the coffee called for in a recipe isn’t much: just a few teaspoons or tablespoons of instant coffee or espresso granules or a half cup of brewed coffee. Occasionally, though, a recipe—like former Serious Eats editor Stella’s devil’s food cake, which uses 12 fluid ounces of coffee—calls for more. Does this mean that chocolate cake is caffeinated? And if you’re serving chocolate cake to kids at a birthday party, are you setting them up to be wired on both sugar and caffeine? Should you skip a slice if you want a good night’s sleep? I took a closer look at what happens when you bake with caffeine.
What Is Caffeine?
Most people know that caffeine is a stimulant commonly found in coffee, tea, cola, and even chocolate. Caffeine is heat-stable, soluble in boiling water, and bitter. It’s one of many naturally occurring compounds that give an ingredient its signature bitterness. (Fun fact: While Coke and Pepsi once used caffeine-containing kola nut in their beverages, modern formulas no longer contain kola nut extract; caffeine is now added separately.)
Caffeine’s solubility in boiling water explains why coffee and tea are so highly caffeinated, as brewing efficiently extracts the caffeine. I spoke with A.J. Bates, chemistry professor at Skyline College, about the specifics of the molecule. He said the nature of the chemical bonds in caffeine makes it stable, requiring a large amount of thermal energy to break apart. In other words: Caffeine remains heat-stable up to 460°F (238°C), a temperature higher than the typical range used for cooking and baking, which is 300 to 425°F (149 to 220 °C).
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
How Much Caffeine Is Really in That Dessert?
Once I established that the caffeine in coffee (and other beverages) doesn’t bake or cook out, I looked at the caffeine content in common drinks. Keep in mind that caffeine levels vary depending on the type of coffee bean, tea leaf, or brand of soft drink. Even chocolate contains a range of caffeine, with both type and brand making a difference.
Ingredient
Average Amount of Caffeine Per Fluid Ounce
Brewed Coffee
15 milligrams*
Espresso
48.74 milligrams*
Black Tea
6.25 milligrams*
Green Tea
4 milligrams**
Matcha
14 milligrams**
Coca-Cola Classic
2.8 milligrams***
Diet Coke
3.8 milligrams***
Pepsi Cola
3.125 milligrams***
Diet Pepsi
3 milligrams***
Dr. Pepper
3.4 milligrams***
Dark Chocolate
20 milligrams†
Milk Chocolate
6 milligrams†
White Chocolate
0 milligrams†
Cocoa Powder
65 milligrams‡
* From Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking
** From Japanese Green Tea Online
*** From the University of Utah
† From World Wide Chocolate
‡ From USDA FoodData Central
I then pulled some popular Serious Eats recipes that use coffee, tea, and chocolate to see how much of those ingredients each dish contained. Using simple math, I calculated the total caffeine in the dish, based on average values for the ingredients. Finally, I divided that total by the number of servings to determine the caffeine per portion.
Recipe
How Much Caffeinated Ingredient
Servings Per Recipe
Total Caffeine for Whole Dish
Caffeine Per Serving
Fudge Brownies
– 1 teaspoon instant espresso (the equivalent of 6 fluid ounces of coffee)
24
470 milligrams
19.6 milligrams
Devil’s Food Cake
– 12 fluid ounces brewed coffee
– 3 ounces cocoa powder
– 6 ounces dark chocolate
16
495 milligrams
30.9 milligrams
Flourless Chocolate Cake
– 1 teaspoon instant espresso (the equivalent of 6 fluid ounces of coffee)
– 4 ounces dark chocolate
– 1 3/4 ounces cocoa powder
8
283.8 milligrams
35.5 milligrams
Chocolate Birthday Layer Cake (with frosting)
– 1 teaspoon instant espresso (the equivalent of 6 fluid ounces of coffee)
– 4 ounces cocoa powder
– 10 ounces dark chocolate
12 to 14
550 milligrams
45.8 to 39.3 milligrams
Tiramisu
– 5 ounces espresso
– 3/4 ounces cocoa powder
8 to 12
292.5 milligrams
36.6 to 24.4 milligrams
Double Chocolate Cream Pie
– 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso (the equivalent of – 3 fluid ounces of coffee)
– 4 ounces dark chocolate
– 1 1/2 ounces cocoa powder
12 to 16
222.5 milligrams
18.5 to 13.9 milligrams
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Dr. Pepper
– 12 fluid ounces Dr. Pepper
4 to 6
41 milligrams
4.1 to 6.8 milligrams
Earl Grey Tea Cookies
– 1 tablespoon (equivalent to 24 fluid ounces brewed tea)
24
150 milligrams
6.25 milligrams
Irish Guinness Stew
– 1/4 cup espresso
– 1 ounce dark chocolate
6
117.5 milligrams
19.6 milligrams
Red Eye Gravy
4 fluid ounces coffee
4
60 milligrams
15 milligrams
A note about marinades that use caffeinated ingredients: Some recipes, such as marbled tea eggs, use loose-leaf tea in the marinade. While they may call for a larger amount of tea or coffee, the marinade often doesn’t penetrate deeply enough to transfer significant caffeine. A cross-section of tea eggs shows that the dark marinade colors only a thin layer of the white. As a result, the caffeine in the finished dish is negligible.
Serious Eats / Vy Tran
The Daily Recommended Limit of Caffeine
At first glance, the caffeine in a serving of those dishes might seem high. But the 45.8 milligrams per serving you’ll get from a large slice of the chocolate layer birthday cake—the most caffeinated Serious Eats dessert I analyzed —is equivalent to just 4 fluid ounces (1/2 cup) of brewed coffee, or about the same as 8 fluid ounces of brewed tea.
For most adults, the FDA recommends no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, or about two to three 12-ounce cups of coffee. A slice of cake is less than a tenth of that daily recommendation. So, there’s no need to avoid that slice of cake or brownie just because of the caffeine unless you are particularly sensitive to caffeine.
But what about kids? I asked Linda Shiue, MD—a physician, chef, and cookbook author— whether she had thoughts on kids’ caffeine intake. She said, “The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no caffeine for kids 12 and under and recommends that teens limit their caffeine to 100 milligrams per day—the amount in an average cup of brewed coffee or 2 cups of tea.” She added, “Children are particularly sensitive to caffeine’s stimulant effects, which can cause anxiety, jitters, headaches, and sleep disturbances. All of these can negatively impact a child’s development, academic performance, and overall well-being.” That said, it may be unrealistic for parents to avoid giving kids under 12 any caffeine whatsoever—that would mean no Halloween candy, no chocolate birthday cake, and no chocolate ice cream sundaes. Of course, that’s a personal parenting choice.
How to Avoid Caffeine Altogether
If you’re looking to avoid caffeine altogether or reduce the amount in a dish, there are plenty of ways to do so. Most chocolate-based recipes, including brownies and cakes, call for instant espresso or coffee as a flavor booster, and the ingredient is often listed as optional. Feel free to skip it.
Decaffeinated options are widely available, and while avid coffee and tea drinkers might find the flavor to be lacking compared to caffeinated versions, the difference is far less noticeable in baked goods, where sugar, butter, and flour will overpower any subtle nuance and complexity that regular caffeinated coffee might have. (Decaf coffee and other decaf products do contain a small amount of caffeine, but it’s negligible.)
For recipes that require brewed coffee or tea, such as devil’s food cake and Thai tea cake, decaf is a great option: It still contributes bitterness and flavor amplification, though the result may be slightly less intense than something made with caffeinated coffee or tea. You can also substitute water for the coffee or tea, but the dessert may taste a little less aromatic. Rest assured, though, most people probably won’t notice the difference—especially a group of five-year-olds.
