Does Caffeine Get Cooked Out of Baked Goods?

October 13, 2025 •

3 min read

Contrary to a common baking myth, caffeine is a remarkably heat-stable compound and does not evaporate or break down during standard baking temperatures. Unlike alcohol, which has a low boiling point and cooks off easily, caffeine's chemical structure requires far more heat to affect its potency. This means any baked goods made with coffee, chocolate, or espresso powder retain their caffeine content.

Quick Summary

Caffeine is a stable compound that survives typical baking temperatures without significant degradation. Ingredients like coffee, cocoa, and espresso powder will impart their full stimulant effect to the finished product, contrary to the myth that the heat removes it.

Key Points

Caffeine is Heat-Stable: Unlike alcohol, caffeine is a thermally stable molecule that does not break down during the heat of normal baking.
Standard Ovens Not Hot Enough: The internal temperature of baked goods stays well below the point where caffeine degrades, ensuring its potency remains.
Evaporation is Minimal: Very little to no caffeine evaporates from baked goods, as it requires much higher temperatures or vacuum conditions to sublime.
Caffeinated Ingredients Retain Potency: The caffeine from ingredients like espresso powder, instant coffee, and chocolate will be present in the final product.
'Coffee Cake' is Often Caffeine-Free: Traditional American coffee cake gets its name from being served with coffee, not from containing it, and is therefore typically uncaffeinated.
Check Your Recipe: For a caffeinated treat, ensure your recipe explicitly calls for a caffeinated ingredient like brewed coffee, espresso powder, or cocoa.

Understanding Caffeine's Heat Stability

The idea that caffeine cooks out of baked goods is a widespread misconception, often stemming from the false analogy to how alcohol evaporates during cooking. The core of this misunderstanding lies in the fundamental difference between the chemical properties of caffeine and alcohol.

Caffeine is a thermally stable molecule, capable of withstanding very high temperatures before it breaks down. According to chemists, caffeine remains stable up to approximately 238°C (460°F). By contrast, the internal temperature of most baked goods like cakes, muffins, and breads rarely exceeds 99°C (210°F), which is slightly below the boiling point of water. Since the baking temperature is far below the point at which caffeine is compromised, its integrity and potency are preserved in the finished product.

Why The "Caffeine Evaporates" Myth Persists

Part of the reason this myth endures is the confusion between evaporation and chemical degradation. While water evaporates from batter and dough during baking, the caffeine doesn't share this volatile property. In fact, caffeine can sublime (transition directly from solid to gas) but only at very high temperatures and under specific conditions, which are never met in a standard home oven. As a result, the caffeine that was in your ingredients before baking is still in your baked goods after they come out of the oven.

Caffeinated Ingredients and Their Role in Baking

Many popular baked goods get their caffeinated kick from common ingredients. The final caffeine concentration in your cookies, cakes, or brownies depends on which of these ingredients you use and in what quantity.

Espresso Powder: A highly concentrated source of caffeine, espresso powder can be added to batters to enhance the chocolate flavor or provide a strong coffee note. The caffeine in the powder remains completely stable during baking.
Brewed Coffee: Replacing a portion of the liquid in a recipe with brewed coffee or espresso can affect the baked good's moisture content, crumb, and overall flavor. The caffeine from the brewed coffee is retained, though its concentration is diluted across the entire batch.
Cocoa Powder: Not all caffeine in baked goods comes from coffee. Cocoa powder and chocolate products contain varying amounts of caffeine, which also survives the baking process. Darker chocolate typically contains more caffeine.
Tea Leaves: Finely ground tea leaves can be used in baking for flavor, and the caffeine from the tea will also be present in the final product.

A Tale of Two Cook-Offs: Caffeine vs. Alcohol

One of the best ways to understand why caffeine doesn't cook out is to compare it to alcohol, which famously does. The difference is all about boiling points and chemical stability.


Feature	Caffeine	Alcohol (Ethanol)
Boiling Point	Sublimes at high temps, very heat stable	~78°C (172°F)
Baking Survivability	Retains almost all potency during baking	Evaporates significantly during cooking
Effect in Baked Goods	Delivers its full stimulant effect	Flavor and some moisture, but greatly reduced potency
Chemical Structure	Extremely stable, high energy required for breakdown	Volatile, evaporates with relative ease

The "Coffee Cake" Misnomer

Many people are surprised to learn that traditional American coffee cake does not actually contain coffee or caffeine. The name refers to the cake's purpose—to be served with coffee. A traditional coffee cake features a buttery, cinnamon-flavored crumb topping, which pairs perfectly with a hot beverage. Therefore, a store-bought or classic homemade coffee cake will not provide a caffeine boost unless you add specific caffeinated ingredients. In contrast, British-style coffee cake often includes instant coffee, making it genuinely caffeinated.

Conclusion: The Final Buzz

The notion that caffeine is cooked out of baked goods is a myth firmly disproven by food chemistry. Because caffeine is a heat-stable molecule that requires temperatures far exceeding those found in a standard oven to degrade, the stimulant remains in your baked treats. Whether you use espresso powder in brownies or brewed coffee in a cake, the final product will retain the caffeine content of its raw ingredients. For those who are sensitive to caffeine, it's crucial to remember that your morning coffee-flavored muffin is not decaffeinated by the baking process. Enjoy responsibly! Serious Eats has also explored this topic in detail.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, adding coffee to brownies will not remove the caffeine. The baking process does not generate enough heat to break down the caffeine molecule, so its full stimulant effect will be present in the final brownies.

No, it's a myth that espresso powder loses its caffeine during baking. Caffeine is highly stable and withstands typical oven temperatures, so the cookies will retain the caffeine content from the espresso powder.

Traditional American coffee cake does not contain coffee and therefore has no caffeine, as its name refers to being served with coffee. However, some modern recipes, particularly in the UK, might include instant coffee powder, making them caffeinated.

Your baked goods will contain caffeine if they are made with caffeinated ingredients like espresso powder, instant coffee, cocoa powder, or brewed coffee. Check the ingredient list of the recipe or packaged mix.

Yes, you can substitute decaffeinated coffee for regular coffee in a recipe. It will provide the coffee flavor without the stimulant effect, which is ideal if you are sensitive to caffeine.

While there are slight differences in roasted coffee beans, the baking process itself doesn't significantly alter the caffeine content. Any caffeine in the coffee product will largely remain in the baked good regardless of the roast level.

Alcohol (ethanol) has a low boiling point of about 78°C (172°F) and easily evaporates during cooking. Caffeine is chemically much more stable and requires significantly higher temperatures (above 235°C or 460°F) to degrade, far hotter than what is used for baking.