Ingredients
Equipment
Method
The Cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and line cake tins with parchment.
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Warm milk and dissolve coffee in it.
- Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla.
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and coffee mixture until just combined.
- Pour batter into tins and bake for 18–20 mins or until a tester comes out clean.
- Cool completely before icing.
The Icing
- Cream butter, cream, sugar, and salt until fluffy.
- Dissolve coffee in hot water, add to mixture, and beat until creamy.
- Chop almonds and set aside.
Assemble The Cake
- Place a little icing on cake stand to hold the first layer.
- Spread ½ inch icing on first layer, top with second layer.
- Apply crumb coat. Chill 20–30 mins.
- Finish icing the cake.
- Press chopped almonds on the sides.
- Use fork or knife to texture top if desired. Chill before serving.
Notes
Room Temperature Ingredients - Having your ingredients, especially the butter, at room temperature produces a lighter, fluffier cake.
Baking Tins - Although most recipes give options for different types of baking tins, in this particular cake I would suggest sticking to nonstick. This cake is very light and delicate and even with the use of nonstick spray and parchment paper, taking it out of the baking tin can cause breakage. The nonstick pans make the process much smoother.
Creaming the Butter and Sugar - Creaming the butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes is an important part of the baking process. This is what traps the air in the butter. As the cake bakes, this air expands and makes the cake soft and fluffy.
Alternating Dry and wet Ingredients - Alternating the ingredients ensures a smoother batter in less time. This means that less gluten will be released as the flour will not be over beaten. The result is a less dense cake.
Testing The Cake - I have and use a cake tester to check and see if my cake is done, but a toothpick works just as well. Another method is to lightly touch the center of the cake and see if it springs back. If your finger leaves a slight impression, the cake needs a little more time. The last great method is to use a cooking thermometer to check for doneness. The perfect internal temperature you're looking for is 210 degrees.
The Icing - The icing comes together easily. The heavy whipping cream gives it a light airy texture so it doesn't taste too buttery and the salt prevents it from tasting too sweet. Paired with the coffee it's the perfect taste and texture.
The Almonds - The traditional British version of this coffee cake usually has walnuts, but I decided to go with the more popular Pakistani almonds. They need to be chopped and pressed into the sides of the cake but since you want to taste the bits, a hand held chopper works best. If you don't have one, place the nuts in a ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush them to the size required.