Old fashioned coffee cake

It’s Father’s Day this weekend so I thought I should make something to tickle the CCD’s (Caked Crusader’s Da) taste buds. He loves coffee and he doesn’t like overly sweet things so this was the ideal cake.

The reason I picked this recipe is because there isn’t a huge amount of buttercream; also the coffee’s natural bitterness cuts through the icing sugar used.

I rather like the piped splodges of buttercream supporting each star:


The cut slices show the lovely open texture of the sponge; this is not a heavy cake at all:

The CCD declared the cake a success but the final word must go to the CCM (Caked Crusader’s Ma) who said that the cake was so delicious “it was worth going through the pain to have you”.


Happy Father’s Day CCD!

Wildlife corner

Slight digression here but it is Father’s Day and the CCD liked the pictures...what does it look like when two giant wood pigeons try and share a birdbath? (The leaves behind the rear pigeon’s head belong to the CCD’s rhubarb – the same rhubarb I use in all my rhubarb cakes!)



Ingredients:
For the cake:

175g unsalted butter, at room temperature
175g light brown soft sugar
175g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
3 teaspoons instant coffee dissolved in 2 teaspoons boiling water

For the buttercream:
75g unsalted butter, at room temperature
150g icing sugar
3 teaspoons instant coffee dissolved in 2 teaspoons boiling water

How to make:

- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
- Line two 20cm sandwich tins with baking paper.
- Beat the butter and sugar together until smooth. The mixture doesn’t go light and fluffy with brown sugar, so beat until the butter is soft and smooth.
- Add the flour, baking powder, eggs and coffee and mix until well combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the two sandwich tins and level the surface.
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Mine took 23 minutes.
- Leave to cool on a wire rack. I let the cakes cool in their tins before turning out and removing the baking paper. I made the cakes the day before I wanted to serve them. They will keep in an airtight tin.
- Now make the icing. Put the butter and half the icing sugar into a bowl and beat until smooth.
- Beat in the coffee then add the rest of the icing sugar beating until the icing is smooth and well combined.
- Spread just over half the icing onto what will be the bottom sponge and top with the other sponge cake.
- Use the remaining icing to decorate the top of the cake. I spread some over the surface and then piped some around the edge to hold my star decorations.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.