Friday Afternoon Coffee Cake Food

COFFEE COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray and line with parchment a 9-by-9-inch baking pan; spray the parchment as well.
• For the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, instant coffee powder and salt. Add the melted butter and mix until crumbs form that you can clump together in your hand. Set aside.
• For the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cardamom. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the coffee and sour cream until smooth.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is well combined. Then add the vanilla extract and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Starting and ending with the dry ingredients, alternate adding the flour mixture and the coffee mixture to the stand mixer; mix each addition well, scraping the bowl each additions.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and top with crumb topping, spreading it evenly. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat milk and oil, stir in coffee and remove from heat.
• Beat eggs and sugar very well.
• Gently fold sifted flour, salt and baking powder into egg mixture.
• Add warm milk mixture.
• Bake at 200C for 20 minutes.
• Frost with butter icing flavoured with coffee powder and cinnamon.

COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Line and butter two 18cm sandwich tins. Add the sugar and butter to a bowl and whisk until very fluffy and pale.
• Whisk the eggs in a mug with a fork, then add them gradually to the mixture with 1 tbsp of flour each time. (Make sure you don't use all the flour.) When the eggs have been fully combined into the mix, add the rest of the flour and fold it in gently.
• Add the dissolved coffee to the mixture, still folding. Divide into the sandwich tins and cook for 25-30 min until risen and firm and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Can be frozen at this stage.
• Meanwhile, make the icing by beating the icing sugar with the butter until light and fluffy, then add the dissolved coffee. Whisk, then cover and set aside until ready to ice the cake.
• Spread half the icing on the bottom of one sponge and spread the strawberry jam on the bottom of the other, if using. Sandwich together, then spread the remaining icing on top. Decorate with walnuts or cherries, if you like.