Whether is for a celebration or simply to treat yourself, there is nothing better than a helping of cake during a cold winter day.
Coffee cake is the perfect dessert to pair with your favourite hot beverage now that the days are getting frostier, and British national treasure Mary Berry has shared her simple recipe to make this cake at home.
There are three parts to this coffee cake recipe, the cake, the hazelnut topping and the buttercream icing, but are all very easy to cook up in no time.
Mary wrote: “Indulgent, sweet, impressive and comforting! This is definitely a special occasion cake – not one for everyday.”
This recipe was first shared by the Bake Off judge in the BBC2 cooking show ‘Mary Berry’s Simple Comforts.’
READ MORE: Mary Berry’s indulgent chocolate Maltesers cake is a mouth-watering ‘crowd-pleaser’
How to make Mary Berry’s coffee cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
225g (8oz) of self-raising flour
225g (8oz) of caster sugar
225g (8oz) of butter
One tablespoon of coffee granules
One tablespoon of baking powder
One tablespoon of boiling water
Four eggs
For the praline:
100g (4oz) of granulated sugar
75g (3oz) of hazelnuts
Four tablespoons of water
For the icing:
400g (14oz) of icing sugar
225g (8oz) of softened butter
One and a half teaspoons of coffee granules
One and a half teaspoons of boiling water
Kitchen equipment:
Two 20cm (eight inches) loose-bottomed cake tins
Instructions
To make the cake: Line your cake tins with baking paper and grease them with butter. Then preheat the oven to 180C (350F) or 160C (320F) fan or Gas Mark 4.
Place the coffee granules in a mixing bowl along with the boiling water, and stir until the granules dissolve. Place the eggs, butter, sugar, flour and baking powder into the mixing bowl and mix until smooth.
Device the cake batter between the two cake tins and use a spoon to even out the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until risen and golden. Leave to cool in the cake tins for a few minutes once out of the oven then remove the tins and let them rest.
To make the praline: First line a baking tray with baking paper. Then place the sugar and four tablespoons of water in a saucepan on low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and a clear syrup forms.
Once you have the syrup, increase the heat and not stirring until the syrup becomes a pale golden colour. Add in the hazelnuts to the syrup and mix thoroughly in the pan to completely coat them.
Quickly pour the mixture onto the baking tray and leave to harden. Once ready, break the praline on a wooden board and chop into small pieces.
To make the icing: Dissolve the coffee granules in boiling water in a bowl and stir until you have a smooth paste.
Next, place the butter in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth, then add in the coffee paste. Pour in the sugar next, a little amount at a time, and keep mixing until you have a smooth and fluffy icing.
Let it come together: Place one cake on a cake and spread half the icing and praline on it. Place the second cake on top of the first cake and add the remaining icing and praline.
Your delicious coffee cake is now ready to serve.
