I am not a cake addict, just a little over attached to it. I love baking cakes of different flavours and toppings, especially tea cakes. Not too much of cream, just plain old fashioned cakes you can enjoy with a cup of tea.

This is a simple recipe I came across, modified to get that definite coffee flavour in every bite along with a crunch of walnuts. It’s rich on coffee no doubt, I’ve used my favourite Davidoff instant coffee for this cake, just so awesome. The cake texture is so airy and so beautifully moist and remains that way if stored in a closed container, as long as the cake lasts.

I remember when my children were small, as soon as I’d finished with the batter, they used to stand with bated breath watching carefully to see if I was going to pour all the cake batter into the cake tin to bake or leave some of the batter back in the bowl for them to taste and make a mess. How time has flown, now, they are all grown up and you’re just left with beautiful hard-to-erase memories.

Well, if I travel down memory lane, I used to do the same when mom used to bake the most delightful tea cakes for all of us. Passed on, I guess. No complaints.

Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Butter-1/4 cup ( melt and keep aside )
• Demerara sugar -1 cup ( powdered)
• Flour-1 cup
• Wheat flour -1/2 cup
• Baking powder-1 and a 1/2 tsp
• Salt – a pinch
• Instant coffee- 2 tbsp
• Vanilla essence-2 tsp
• Milk-1/4 cup
• Brewed coffee -3 tsp coffee in 1/2 cup of boiling water (keep it aside to cool)
• Egg -1

For the crumb:

• Walnuts crushed coarsely -1/4 cup
• Castor sugar – 1 tbsp

In a small bowl mix the coarsely chopped walnuts and castor sugar and keep aside.

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180 deg.c.

• Take all the dry ingredients together in a bowl (Powdered Sugar, flour, wheat flour, salt, baking powder, instant coffee) and mix well.
• In another bowl, take the melted butter and add the egg, brewed coffee, milk and vanilla essence. Beat well with an egg beater.
• Add the beaten mixture to the dry ingredients and blend well so that there are no lumps and the batter is free flowing from a spoon.
• Take a greased and dusted cake tin, pour in the batter, sprinkle the walnut crumb on top, press it down lightly and bake for 45 minutes. Allow it to cool in the cake tin for 15-20 minutes before removing it on to a plate.
• This can be a dessert too with a spoonful of vanilla ice- cream or even a simple custard.

Chefs tips:

• All ingredients should be at room temperature, including egg.
• Melt the butter in the bowl where it is to be blended with the other wet ingredients so that there is no wastage.
• You could replace demerara sugar for white sugar, in case it’s not available.
• Always bake in the center of the oven.

• Allow the cake to cool before turning it on to a plate.
• This cake weighs around 800 grams.
• Tips on baking can be read in my earlier posts.

Where there was s cake, there is hope. And there is always cake. -Dean Koontz

Till my next post,

Cheers

Rose