Wake up and smell the coffee!

Mocha Cake

I offered hubby a choice between lemon drizzle and coffee cake (I don't know why I bothered - I knew he'd pick coffee!!!) Since I'm not that big a coffee cake fan, but wanted to try the recipe, I tweaked the original Hummingbird recipe to include a teeny tiny chocolate angle which gave it its mocha flavour.

I took some in for the work colleagues who said it was lovely and light and then promptly got told off for not having frosted it.....as you can see it doesn't look that great minus frosting but it did taste good :)

So for all those of you with a sweet tooth out there - I have included the recipe for the frosting, but if like me you're trying to keep sugar levels low - then you can make it without too and you won't be disappointed.

Mocha Cake

Serving: 12 – 16 slices

Ingredients

1 tbsp instant coffee granules

225 g unsalted butter at room temperature

225 g caster sugar

225 g plain flour

4 eggs

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp cocoa powder

30 g dark chocolate – melted (this can be done in a microwave)

23 cm round cake tin, greased and lined

Method

1. Make a coffee essence by putting the instant coffee granules in 80 ml water in a small saucepan and boil till it is reduced by half. Remove from heat and let it cool completely.

2. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

3. In a bowl, mix together the butter, sugar and coffee essence and cream together until light and fluffy.

4. Add the eggs one at a time making sure to beat well.

5. Add the melted chocolate.

6. Sift together the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Add this to the above mixture folding lightly, until the mixture is light and fluffy.

7. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin.

8. Bake in the preheated oven for roughly 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Frosting

250 g icing sugar, sifted

80 g unsalted butter at room temperature

25 ml whole milk

Couple of drops of vanilla extract

1 tsp coffee essence (as made above)

Beat the icing sugar and butter together with an electric mixer. Combine milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl and add to the butter and sugar mixture, one spoon at a time. Continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the coffee essence.

Decorate with chocolate shavings and coffee beans.