There are days when only cake is the answer and today was one of them. We were craving a coffee cake but I didn't want to break new recipe boundaries or have an unexpected baking fail. And so, out of a desire for something familiar with just a little bit of an unexpected twist, came this Coffee and Chocolate Layer Cake. After all, doesn't coffee and chocolate trump straight chocolate every time?
This cake is a variation on my Easy Chocolate Cake recipe and as you know, I'm a great fan of having a relatively small repertoire of recipes and adapting and tweaking them endlessly to make yourself appear to be quite the domestic goddess. Or god.
So what can I tell you about this gorgeous cake?
The cake is a basic sponge, using the classic ingredients of margarine (yes, really - I favour it over butter in sponges, not least because I can use it straight from the fridge!), caster sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, self-raising flour and golden syrup. And the coffee frosting, well here is where I went slightly off-piste. I'm a fan of a cream cheese frosting - I use it on these Carrot Cakes, in this Lemon Layer Cake and to fill these Lemon Butterfly Cakes - and I wanted to make a coffee version to give new life to my chocolate cake.
You don't need to ask me twice to make an espresso, either to drink or to use in a recipe (remember these Affogatos?) but too much liquid in frosting is troublesome so I hesitated. Then I remembered that I had a jar of espresso powder that I had last used for these Chocolate Espresso Ice Cream Sandwiches. It's much more finely ground than instant coffee and doesn't need water adding to it to impart flavour. Bingo! I added 2 tablespoons of espresso powder to my regular cream cheese frosting recipe and it was a triumph.
Here's why I think you'll love this Coffee and Chocolate Layer Cake -
- It's easy to make - this is entry-level baking and I'm always a fan of that.
- It's also a quick cake to bake - no fussy techniques or twiddles here. Plus, if you make the frosting while the cake is baking, you are being super efficient with your time.
- It cuts easily - these things matter!
- You get to use up some of the espresso powder languishing in your cupboard - I don't like having an ingredient that I only use for one recipe, so if you made the Chocolate Espresso Ice Cream Sandwiches you'll be glad that the espresso powder gets another outing.
- It travels nicely - this slice is going to be part of an after school in-car snack at pick-up time. This may make up for a rubbish day of exams ...
- It tastes really delicious - just add a coffee, a glass of milk, a glass of wine ...
- It keeps really well - 3 days after baking it is still great. We talked about maybe freezing the rest for another time but decided that neither of us had bored of it yet.
I really think that this is a cake you can make on a whim and then sit back to soak up the adulation of your fans. Go ahead - make their day!
PrintCoffee and Chocolate Layer Cake
This Coffee and Chocolate Layer Cake is chocolatey enough to be interesting but balanced by a bold, coffee frosting. I think you'll be a fan!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Oven baked
- Cuisine: British
Ingredients
For the cake -
- 275g (10oz) margarine or soft butter, NOT low fat or 'spreadable' + plus a little extra for greasing the tins
- 275g (10oz) caster sugar
- 5 eggs
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 250g (9oz) SR flour
- 1 tablespoon golden syrup
You will also need -
- 2 x 20cm (8") tins (preferably with loose bases but it's not a disaster if they don't)
- baking parchment
- weighing scales
- a large mixing bowl
- an electric mixer
For the coffee frosting -
- 85g (3oz) cream cheese
- 50g (2oz) margarine or soft butter
- 2 tablespoons espresso powder
- 450g (1lb) icing sugar
Instructions
For the cake -
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F (gas mark 4).
- Begin by lining the tins. Draw around the base of the tin onto the baking parchment and cut out 2 circles.
- Grease the base and sides of the tins with a little soft butter or margarine on some kitchen roll or baking parchment. Now 'stick' the baking parchment circles inside the 2 tins.
- Weigh the butter and caster sugar into a large mixing bowl.
- Now using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy and has become a lighter colour. This will take around 5 minutes.
- Break each egg individually into a cup (just in case any of them have gone bad - trust me if does happen). This also means it is easier to fish out any stray bits of shell.
- Add each egg, one at a time to the mixture.
- Now weigh the SR flour into a bowl and add this to the cake mixture with the cocoa powder.
- Beat the mixture until everything is well combined. You may need to use a spatula to 'clean' the edges of the bowl and to make sure that everything is thoroughly mixed.
- If you're cooking on gas, warm a metal spoon over a flame on the hob for a few seconds and use the hot spoon to measure a tablespoon of golden syrup into the mixture. Use the same spoon to gently fold the syrup into the mixture. If your hob is electric, just use a teaspoon to ease the syrup off the tablespoon.
- Divide the mixture between the 2 tins and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the centre is springy to the touch.
- It's the cook's privilege at this stage to lick the bowl - if that's your kind of thing ...
- Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for a few minutes or until the edges of the cake have shrunk a little from the tin. Now run a sharp knife round the edges of the tins to fully release them and carefully tip the cakes onto a cooling rack.
- Be sure that the cake is completely cold before decorating it.
For the frosting -
- Beat together the cream cheese and margarine until light and fluffy.
- Add the espresso powder to the mixture and then gradually add the icing sugar, beating after each addition.
- When the cakes are completely cold, use the frosting to sandwich the cakes together and swirl over the top of the layer cake.
Keywords: afternoon tea, cosy, baking, easy