23 March 2014

Coffee Tray Bake



This is a cake that is easy to throw together at the last minute and can be eaten at almost any time of day. The only time of day that I would personally avoid is in the evening, because I have quite a low caffeine tolerance and like being able to sleep at night.


I brought this cake with me on a trip to see my cousin in Burgess Hill. He liked the way that the coffee granules melt in your mouth, giving little bursts of caffeine. I think he must have liked it quite a bit because he had two pieces even though we were on our way to get lunch.


As always, this was a throw-together-invent-as-you-go kind of cake, even though it is based on my standard cake mix. I chose to throw the instant coffee into the batter without dissolving it first, which is what gave the bursts of caffeine, but if you don't want a speckled cake then go right ahead and make an espresso first. The icing is flavoured with hints of cinnamon and vanilla along with the coffee, giving the cake a bit of depth and harking back to my penchant for flavoured coffee.


Ingredients
For the cake:

  • 200g Butter
  • 200g Caster Sugar
  • 3 Eggs
  • 200g Plain Flour
  • 2 Tsp Baking Powder
  • 3 Tsp Instant Coffee
  • 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 100mL Milk
For the icing:
  • 200g Icing Sugar
  • 70g Butter
  • 2 Tsp Instant Coffee
  • 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Recipe
  • Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan and line a deep baking tray with parchment paper.
For the cake:
  • Cream the butter and  caster sugar together until light and fluffy.
  • Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until smooth.
  • Sift the flour and baking powder into the batter and fold in until well combined.
  • Stir in the coffee and cinnamon.
  • Add enough milk to give the batter a soft dropping consistency.
  • Pour the batter into the baking tray and bake in the oven for 22 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean.
  • Allow the cake to cool completely before icing it.
For the icing:
  • Beat all of the ingredients together until smooth.
  • Spread over the top of the cake.

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