Coffee cake

Ingredients (11)

• butter200 g
• caster sugar200 g
• eggs4
• self-raising flour200 g
• baking powder1 tsp
• instant coffee2 tbsp
• walnuts100 g
• water100 ml
• butter200 g
• icing sugar300 g
• coffee2 tbsp

Method

1. 1

   Heat your oven to 170C/fan 150C/gas mark 3. Line a deep 20cm loose-based or springform cake tin. Beat 200g butter and 200g caster sugar together with electric beaters and then beat in 4 eggs, 200g self-raising flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder.

2. 2

   Dissolve 2 heaped tablespoons of instant coffee in 100ml water, then beat in 1 tablespoon of this into the cake mixture. Add up to another tablespoon little by little until the mixture drops easily off the spoon. Keep the rest of the coffee mixture for the icing. Also stir in 50g walnuts, snapping them in half as you drop them into the bowl.

3. 3

   Spoon the mixture into the tin, level the top and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. When it's ready, turn the cake out of the tin and leave to cool.

4. 4

   When it's cool, cut the cake into 3 slices horizontally and then sandwich the layers together with some of the icing; you need a reasonably thick layer. Cover the top of the cake with the rest of the icing and decorate with walnuts.