Coffee Cake

Preparation

• 1
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees or 160 degrees fan oven. Lightly grease two loose bottomed 18cm cake tins, then line them with baking parchment.
• 2
  2. Add a tablespoon of warm boiled water to the coffee, stir to dissolve the coffee granules and leave to cool.
• 3
  3. Add the softened butter, cut into small pieces, to the caster sugar and beat until well combined. Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl then add a little of the egg to the mixture and beat until smooth, repeating until all the egg is incorporated. Stir in the liquid coffee. Sift in the flour and gently fold it into the mixture.
• 4
  4. Spoon half of the mixture into each of the two prepared tins, making sure that the surface is level. Bake in the preheated oven until the sponge is cooked through and springy and firm to touch, for about 25 minutes. Take the tins out of the oven and leave to cool, then after a few minutes push the two cakes out of the tins and leave on a cooling rack.
• 5
  5. To make the filling and icing, combine the coffee granules and warm boiled water and stir to dissolve the coffee. Pour it into a small pan and add the butter, cut into small pieces, the soft brown sugar and the cream. Heat them together over a low heat, stirring constantly, until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, then continue to cook for 3-4 more minutes until really smooth.
• 6
  6. Turn off the heat and sift in the icing sugar a little at a time, stirring briskly after each addition, until the icing sugar is completely incorporated.
• 7
  7. Spread half of the icing straight away on top of the first layer of cake, use it to sandwich the second layer on top, and then carefully spread the remaining icing to top the cake. Decorate with the walnut halves.