Coffee and Praline Cake

Coffee cake is truly a British classic, and one of my all-time favourite cakes. It is often found on dessert menus and afternoon tea trays. This is also an easy cake to bake, a delicious coffee sponge topped with a smooth coffee buttercream. 

One of the reason why I love this coffee cake is that both the sponge and the buttercream are absolutely jam-packed with coffee flavour.

Also if you have to make a cake for a tea stall at a fete or a show, then Coffee Cake is your best bet. IN my experience, it is the most popular cake to offer and it is straightforward to make. You only need buttercream icing for the top and middle and then finish it off with walnuts, pecans or praline (as I have here). You can always skip the praline if you like a more everyday cake.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp coffee granules
• 4 large eggs
• 225g butter, plus extra for greasing, softened
• 225g caster sugar
• 225g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder

For the praline:

• 100g granulated sugar
• 75g shelled hazelnuts

For the coffee buttercream:

• 1 tbsp coffee granules
• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 225g icing sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven.

Grease two 20cm sandwich tins and line the bases with baking paper.

Dissolve the coffee in 1 tablespoon of boiling water. Put the eggs, butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and coffee into a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the mixture until smooth. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and level the surface.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until well risen and the sponge has come away from the sides of the tins. Turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

To make the praline: Line a baking sheet with a baking paper. Put the sugar and 4 tablespoons of water into a saucepan over a low heat. Slowly stir until the sugar dissolves and you have a clear syrup. Remove the spoon, increase the heat and boil, without stirring, until the syrup is pale golden. (CAUTION: boiling sugar is extremely hot. Handle very carefully).

Add the hazelnuts and swirl to coat them in the syrup, then quickly tip the mixture onto the baking sheet. leave to cool and harden.

To make the buttercream: Dissolve the coffee in 1 tablespoon of boiling water. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the coffee and icing sugar a little at a time, beating until smooth, light and fluffy.

Break the cooled praline into pieces over a wooden board, then chop into very small pieces.

Put one cake on a plate, upside down. Pipe small dollops of buttercream on the cake, reserving half the buttercream for the top. Sprinkle with half the praline. Sit the second cake on top, spread with the remaining buttercream and sprinkle with the remaining praline.