cake

For some reason I have never been a big fan of coffee cake, until now. This is because I had never eaten a good one. The revelation came after eating this simple coffee cake from Lorraine Pascale, of whom I am now a devoted fan. The most important criteria for a cookbook is that the recipes work. After you buy a cookbook and attempt several recipes, finding them easy to read, straightforward to make, turning out well and most of all, tasting delicious, then you know you have discoverd a reliable author. And you stick with them, because the success of their recipes is your success.

But back to cake.

After preparing two sandwich tins with butter and paper, 3 tabs of coffee in one tablespoon of hot water are mixed first.

Then flour, sugar and baking powder are mixed to combine, adding the butter, eggs, vanilla extract, prepared coffee and chopped walnuts. All this is beaten well then divided into the prepared tins and put in the oven for about 25 minutes.

Just before the cakes are ready a coffee syrup is made with instant coffee, sugar and hot water. Once the cakes come out they are brushed whilst hot with the coffee syrup. After five minutes the sponges are taken out of the tins to cool completely.

coffee syrup soaking into hot sponges

Finally, the coffee buttercream is made with icing sugar, butter and one more tablespoon of coffee powder in hot water. These are beaten together very well.

All that is left to do is assembly. One sponge, one layer of buttercream, the other sponge on top and then the rest of the buttercream is spread liberally on top. Walnuts are added for the traditional decoration.

Then nothing left to do but dive in.

( need a cake fork ... )

For afternoon tea, this cake is delectable but what better accompaniment could you have with your morning coffee too?

Verdict: Addictive cake for coffee lovers. A true coffee flavour rather than the usual coffee-ish flavour that most coffee cakes produce. It is light in texture, the buttercream and walnuts equally balancing creamy and crunchy textures, the overall mouthful being one harmonious coffee/sweet delight. Did I like this cake? What do you think?

coffee, vanilla & walnut cake
Fast, Fresh and Easy Food, Lorraine Pascale, HarperCollinsPublishers, London 2012