How to make the perfect coffee cake and the common mistakes to avoid

Camp coffee essence, a light touch and the argument for the addition of walnuts. It's time to dive into the world of coffee cake

Old-fashioned coffee cake is hard to beat.

Do not use real coffee

This is not the time to brew some freshly ground coffee. Even Darina reaches for coffee essence when making a coffee cake. "I’m a real purist about using extract rather than essence in the case of vanilla", she explains. "But, in coffee cake, I prefer to use coffee essence (which is actually mostly chicory) to real coffee."

Spend extra time beating the butter and sugar

This sponge is made all the fluffier if you spend a little extra time beating the sugar and butter. If using an electric whisk or mixer, keep going until the texture of the butter changes from dense to light - you are looking for the kind of texture you would find on top of a cupcake. 

Remember, room temperature

When baking, it is extremely important to use ingredients that are the same temperature for optimum results. In this case, you want all of your ingredients to be at room temperature. The butter should yield easily to the touch and the eggs should not be used from the fridge. 

Cooking for a crowd

If you are showing people that you love them by delivering cake to their doors, and need quite a bit of cake, then consider turning your coffee cake into a single layer traybake. Smooth the cake batter into a medium roasting tin that has been lined and greased, and bake for 25 minutes. 

Icing issues

If your icing is too stiff, simply add a tablespoon of milk and whisk. If it splits, add small quantities of cold butter and whisk until it has come back together. 

Go nuts

The argument for walnuts in coffee cake is a strong one. Slightly bitter walnuts offset the sweetness of the cake. There are however, some non-nut alternatives. Chocolate covered coffee beans make a delicious option, as do curls of dark chocolate. 

Storage unit

Coffee cake keeps really well for up to four days either wrapped tightly in cling film or stored in a cake tin. If you want to bake it ahead of time, you can freeze the un-iced sponge cake, making sure that you wrap it well. 

Coffee cake

recipe by:Darina Allen

This is a splendid recipe for an old-fashioned coffee cake – the sort Mummy made – and we still make it regularly

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 1 hours 20 mins

Cooking Time

 45 mins

Total Time

 2 hours 5 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 225g soft butter

• 225g caster sugar

• 4 organic eggs

• 225g plain white flour, preferably unbleached

• 1 tsp baking powder

• Scant 2 tbsp Camp coffee essence

• For the coffee buttercream:

• 150g butter

• 330g icing sugar, sieved

• 5-6 tsp Camp coffee essence

• For the coffee glacé icing:

• 450g icing sugar

• Scant 2 tbsp Irel or Camp coffee essence

• About 4 tbsp boiling water

• To decorate:

• walnuts

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4. Line the base and sides of the tin with greaseproof or silicone paper. Brush the bottom and sides with melted butter and dust lightly with flour.

2. Beat the soft butter with a wooden spoon, add the caster sugar and beat until pale in colour and light in texture. Whisk the eggs. Add to the mixture, bit by bit, whisking well between each addition.

3. Sieve the flour with the baking powder and stir gently into the cake mixture. Finally, add in the coffee essence and mix thoroughly.

4. Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes. When the cake is cooked, the centre will be firm and springy and the edges will have shrunk from the sides of the tins. Leave to rest in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Remove the greaseproof paper from the base, then flip over so the top of the cake doesn’t get marked by the wire rack. Leave the cake to cool on the wire rack.

5. To make the coffee buttercream, whisk the butter with the sieved icing sugar and add the coffee essence. Continue to whisk until light and fluffy.

6. When cold, cut the cake in half. Sandwich the layer together with half of the coffee buttercream. Spread the sides and top of the cake thinly with the last of the buttercream and place into the fridge for 10-15 minutes to chill. This technique is called crumb coating.

7. Next, make the coffee glacé icing. Sieve the icing sugar and put into a bowl. Add coffee essence and enough boiling water to make it the consistency of a thick cream.

8. To dcorate, remove the cake from the fridge. Pour the glace icing evenly over the top of the cake, gently spreading it down the sides with a palette knife. Allow to set, about 30 minutes. Decorate with piped rosettes of buttercream and garnish with the caramelised walnuts.