COFFEE CAKE

Cakes : How To Make Coffee Cake

This simple coffee cake recipe is sweet and moist. Learn the perfect coffee sponge cake recipe, with delicious coffee butter icing.

INGREDIENTS
200 g butter
200 g caster sugar
4 medium eggs
200 g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp instant coffee
100 g walnuts
100 ml water
200 g butter
300 g icing sugar
2 tbsp coffee

PROCESSING METHOD

Sponge mixture
* Heat your oven to 170°C / fan 150°C / gas mark 3.
* Line a deep 20 cm loose-based or springform cake tin.
* Beat 200 g butter and 200 g caster sugar together with electric beaters and then beat in 4 eggs, 200 g self-raising flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder.

Coffee & Walnuts
* Dissolve 2 heaped tablespoons of instant coffee in 100 ml water, then beat in 1 tablespoon of this into the cake mixture.
* Add up to another tablespoon little by little until the mixture drops easily off the spoon.
* Keep the rest of the coffee mixture for the icing.
* Also stir in 50 g walnuts, snapping them in half as you drop them into the bowl.

Bake
* Spoon the mixture into the tin, level the top and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly.
* When it's ready, turn the cake out of the tin and leave to cool.

Icing
* To make the icing, beat 200 g butter until soft and then beat in 200 g icing sugar followed by the remaining coffee mixture, little by little. Stop when you have a depth of colour and flavour that you like. If the icing looks a little soft, beat in extra icing sugar.

Decorate
* When it's cool, cut the cake into 3 slices horizontally and then sandwich the layers together with some of the icing; you need a reasonably thick layer.
* Cover the top of the cake with the rest of the icing and decorate with walnuts.