Easiest, Tastiest Coffee & Walnut Cake

Adapted from hurrrr

Serves 8

For the Cake

150g caster sugar
150g butter or margarine
3 eggs
150g self raising flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp instant coffee (add more if you like it strong)

For The Icing
225g icing sugar
100g butter or margarine
1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee
1 tbsp hot water

Preheat the oven at 160 C, 325 F, Gas Mark 3.

Line two equally sized sandwich tins with greaseproof paper. Grease the paper.

I greased silicon moulds because I have trust issues.

Add the sugar and the butter to a bowl and whisk until fluffy and a pale cream.

Whisk the eggs in a mug with a fork and then add them gradually to the mixture (about four or five pours) with 2 tbsp of flour each time.

Keep back a couple of tablespoons of flour.

Add the rest of the flour and the baking powder to the mixture and mix with the electric mixer.

It says from here on in the original method to gently fold in. Yeah…no.

Dissolve the coffee in the boiling water and add to the mixture, electric whisking away.

Divide into the sandwich tins and cook for 30 minutes.

Test with a toothpick. If it comes out clean from the centre of the cake, it’s done.

It’s the spongiest cake I’ve made so thought it needed more time, but thirty minutes was perfect.

Leave for about 15 minutes before removing from their tins/ moulds.

Remove from the tins/ moulds, and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Clean your mixing bowl and whisk attachments.

When the cakes have cooled completely, cream the butter and the icing sugar until light and fluffy. Watch out for the asthma attack inducing plumes of dust from the icing sugar. It might seem like you’ll never get creamy icing out of this, but it does come together, hoorah!

Dissolve the coffee in boiling water, making sure you don’t add too much water or the icing will be runny. Add it to the butter and icing sugar and whisk to combine fully.

Once the cakes have completely cooled, place one cake onto the plate you’ll be serving from.

Spread the icing on the top of the cake layer you’ve put on the serving plate. You can spread the icing to the edge, unless you plan on squishing it right down. Even when cutting into it, it didn’t squeeze out like most fillings.

Leave around half of the icing for the top.

Pop your other cake on top, and spread the remaining icing all over the top layer.

Decorate with walnuts or chocolate shavings.

It’s worth noting this has been my most popular baking result in memory. It’s already been booked for upcoming get togethers. I fear for my safety if I don’t produce it. If I go missing you’ll know why….