THE ART OF BAKING

Easy espresso cake with mocha buttercream

Serves 8–10 | Preparation time: 15 minutes | Baking time: 25 minutes

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Ingredients
For the cake
225g butter
225g castor sugar
4 large eggs
225g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter)
2.5 tsp instant coffee granules, dissolved in 1 Tbsp hot water

For the mocha buttercream icing

150g soft butter
300g icing sugar
1–2 tsp instant coffee granules and 2 tsp cocoa dissolved in 3 Tbsp warm milk
10–12 toasted walnuts or pecan nuts to decorate (optional)

Tools

2x round cake tin, 20cm

Cake tester
Pastry brushes
Stand mixer
 Cooling rack
Kitchen scale
Spatula
Measuring spoons
Sieve, 20.5cm
Mixing bowl

WHAT TO DO:

For the cake

1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC (374ºF). Grease and line 2 x 20cm cake tins. Note: Oven
temperatures vary and some ovens may be hotter than others, so it's best to bake your
cake at 180ºC (356ºF) if you have a hot oven.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, this will take
approximately five minutes. As you go along, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with
a spatula as needed.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a clean bowl.
4. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture, alternating with flour mixture in between
each addition. This will ensure that the eggs don’t curdle and that your flour is well
incorporated. Add in the coffee and water mixture and mix a little more until everything has
blended together.
5. Divide the batter between your two cake tins and bake for 25 minutes or until golden and a
skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, or the cake springs back when pressed
gently.
6. Leave the cakes to cool in their tins for about a minute, then run a spatula around the
inside edge and turn the cakes out onto a wire cooling rack.

For the mocha buttercream icing

1. To make your icing, cream together the ingredients, adding extra coffee or cocoa to your
liking. Once the cakes have cooled completely, top the first cake with half of the icing,
place the second cake on top and add the remaining icing followed by the toasted nuts if
you choose to use any.

© Recipe copyright of Sarah Graham

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