I was surprised when H asked me to make a coffee cake because she doesn't like coffee. She never drinks it. In fact I don't think she's ever drunk it!
So I rooted out this recipe that my old friend Erika used to make. She's a clever lady, a Biochemist. The last time I spoke to her she was researching at the famous Paterson labs in Manchester, and writing all sorts of interesting articles. I haven't seen her for years but we had some great times together.
Like the time we drove to Paris in Bluebird her little old bright blue VW Beatle with two other friends when I was about 20...The adventures we had in that car. Like accidentally driving off with a gendarme's helmet on the bonnet. He was helping us to reverse after we'd stayed in a hotel in a tiny village and awoke the next morning to find the market traders had blocked us in. He was jumping up and down as we drove away, merrily waving 'au revoir' to him...with his hat wobbling on top...
...To a midnight drive through the middle of the Bois de Boulogne looking for a hotel, naively unaware that at night time this beautiful park is a famous red light district! We eventually stopped in a little hamlet where all the hotels were closed...and ended up sleeping in the freezing car until first light when a cafe, that looked like a stage set from Amelie opened up, and rotund elderly men started filing in for coffee,croissants and cognac...we followed suit...
...if I drank cognac now I think it would be the perfect tipple to quaff with this cake...
Erika'a Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
- 6oz flour
- 6oz butter
- 6oz sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 dessertspoon coffee or coffee essence
Filling:
This is depends on your taste fresh cream with a little coffee and icing sugar would work.
I made butter icing with unrefined icing sugar which gives a lovely caramel flavour and a little made up instant coffee for the filling. And drizzled the top with icing made from unrefined icing sugar and made up instant coffee.
Had I been making this for grown-ups and not H I would have used espresso.
Method:
Method:
- Cream the butter and sugar together.
- Beat the eggs and add a little at a time.
- Fold in the flour and coffee.
- Put into a greased baking pan, or two separate ones.
- Bake 190c/375f/Gas mark 5. I used two small 15cm/6in pans and they baked in half an hour.
- Leave to cool on a rack.
- When cooled sandwich together with the butter icing or cream and then drizzle with icing.
My husbands the opposite he likes drinking coffee but not eating coffee flavoured things, but me - oh give me a slice of this and I'd be happy. Thanks for sharing your memory of driving through Paris, sounds so lovely - i loved Paris when I was there, but it rained the whole time. Hope to go again.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a Happy New Year.
It really is yummy Shaheen...I have fond memories of Paris it is an amazing city. Shame about the rain...I hope the sun shines for you next time...and that you have an amazing New Year...
ReplyDeleteDebx
wow just five ingredients to make that gorgeous sounding cake? I can get your friend though, I usually don't like drinking coffee, more of a tea person, but I like coffee as a flavour in food! same for booze. haha.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a coffee drinker either. But coffe in cake form? You just can't beat it!
ReplyDeleteWhere do you get refined icing sugar from?
daisycakecompany...you can find unrefined icing sugar on line here at Helo's foods
ReplyDeleteit's a really long link:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=unrefined+icing+sugar&oq=unrefined+icing+&aq=0&aqi=g1g-v1g-b1&aql=&gs_sm=c&gs_upl=1403l6607l0l8183l20l19l3l3l3l0l212l1786l6.5.2l13l0#q=buy+unrefined+icing+sugar&hl=en&prmd=imvns&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=l5sFT4SrGMGBOtiXhMAB&sqi=2&ved=0CJUBEK0E&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=623b77a7ce0894a0&biw=1767&bih=979
Or if you are UK based lots of food stores and supermarkets sell it I think I got mine from a Waitrose store.
It is worth finding because you can really taste the difference and for some cakes especially it works really well.
Deb