Coffee cake

I know there’s this notion out there that a coffee cake should contain coffee. There’s also this notion that a coffee cake is not necessarily made with coffee, but is simply a no frills cake that’s good to go with a cup of coffee or tea.
So, what’s my notion? I am partial towards the no frills cake. Beacuse I strongly feel coffee and tea belong in a mug and is best consumed in the liquid state. Anybody with me?

Hmmm, except for maybe in a lovely light  tiramisu or in a silky smooth Kahlua cheesecake. There are always exceptions, right ? 🙂

But this recipe is one of those recipes- quick mix, no beaters required, less- mess -to -clean -up types. And being the lazy bum that I am, I fell for it. With a face plant !!

The texture of the cake is outstanding. Soft, rich and buttery. The texture itself will make you reach for the next slice. The coffee flavour was a tad too strong for my liking. I like my coffee milky and sweet rather than  the more popular strong dark ones. So I suggest you cut the coffee powder  by half if you like a less stronger coffee flavour.

All in all, it’s a basic cake recipe that can be tailored to make a lot of interesting variations. Happy baking , folks!

P.S : You can see from my pictures that I tried adding some chopped chocolate, but it did not make any marked difference to the entire flavour of the cake.

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Coffee cake

For the cake

125 g butter,  chopped

1 cup (220g)caster sugar

1/2 cup (125 ml) milk

2 tablespoons instant coffee granules

1 1/3 cups (200 g) self raising flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 eggs, beaten slightly

Coffee icing

1 tablespoon boiling water

1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules

2 teaspoons butter

1 cup (160g) icing sugar

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Method

For the cake

1. Preheat oven to 160 C. Grease a 9 inch loaf tin ; line base and long sides with baking parchment, extending paper over sides

2. Stir butter,sugar, milk and coffee in small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Sift flour and cinnamon into medium bowl; stir in butter mixture and egg. Pour mixture into tin.

3. Bake loaf for approximately 30 minutes. Stand loaf in tin; turn, topside up onto wire rack to cool.

4. Make coffee icing, spread over cake.

For the coffee icing

Combine water, coffee and butter in small heatproof bowl, stir in sifted icing sugar to form a firm paste. Place bowl over small saucepan of simmering water,stir until icing is spreadable.

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Adapted slightly from The Australian Women’s Weekly