James Martin Coffee Cake Food

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.

NO FAIL COFFEE AND WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Place the butter into a large mixing bowl and beat until light and smooth. Add the sugar and cream togetehr until light and fluffy.
• One at a time add each egg making sure to beat well to completely incorporate each egg before adding the next egg. If the mixture looks like it's about to curdle add 1 spoonful of the flour. Then add the dissolved coffeee to the mixture and mix well.
• Add the flour and chopped walnuts and gently fold in until fully combined.
• Divide the mixure into two 20cm/8 cake tins which should be greased / lined with parchement paper. Transfer to the oven to bake 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean and the cake is golden-brown. Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
• Whilst the cakes are cooling make the butter icing. Firstly beat the butter in a small bowl until pale and smooth then gradually beat in the icing sugar. Next add the espresso and mix well.
• Split the butter icing mix in half and spread one half on to the flat side of one sponge. Then place the second sponge on top. Finally add the reaming butter icing to the top sponge and evenly spread out. Once the icing is on place the walnuts around the top of the cake as you'd like.