The best of two worlds meet in this coffee caramel cake. It is a simple cake to make and also does double duty as a dessert cake. For the fanatical coffee lovers, the coffee flavour can be ramped up by making an extra strength brew and using this as a flavouring in the same way vanilla extract/essence is used. (see notes below)
A lighter coffee infused whipped cream was used as a filling in between cake layers and a sweeter coffee buttercream was used to cover the cake.
This cake can be baked in 2 deep 20 or 23 cm round pans or 3 shallow 20 cm round ones.
Coffee Flavouring
A strong, cooled brew of coffee is used as a flavouring in both the cake and the frosting. Alternatively you can use a strong, cold shot of expresso. This merely entails making a strong cup of coffee, unsweetened and cooling it to room temperature.
Alternatively, feel free to use a coffee essence.
- 1 c of boiled water
- 1 – 2 heaped TB instant coffee powder (depending on how strong personal taste dictates)
- Add coffee granules to a cup of boiled water and stir, exactly like making a strong cup of coffee.
- Set aside to cool.
Ingredients for Cake
- 250 g butter
- 2 tsps coffee flavouring/essence
- 1 1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 c self-raising flour
- 1/2 c custard powder
- 2 TB instant coffee powder
- 1 c milk
Method to make Cake
- Grease and line the base of 2 or 3 x 20cm round pans.
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
- Measure out all ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
- Using an electric beater, beat ingredients until smooth and paler in colour.
- The mixture may appear as if splitting, continue beating as this does not affect the integrity of the cake.
- Divide into cake pans and bake for 25-35 minutes until cakes are well risen and coming away from the sides of the pan.
- Leave to cool in pans for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to completely cool.
Coffee-Infused Whipped Cream
- 1 c of cold whipping cream
- 2 TB coffee flavouring
- 2-3 TB sifted icing sugar
- Add cold cream to a cold, metal mixing bowl and using an electric beater, beat till soft peaks form.
- Add icing sugar and cold coffee brew and beat till stiff peaks form.
Coffee Buttercream
- 125 g softened butter
- 1 1/2 c sifted icing sugar
- 1 TB coffee flavouring/brew
- Beat butter with an electric beater till soft and fluffy.
- Add sifted icing sugar and beat till well incorporated.
- Add coffee brew and beat till soft and fluffy.
Assemble Cake
- Place a layer of cold cake on a flat plate and add some coffee-infused whipped cream.
- Repeat if using 3 layers of cake.
- Cover tops and sides of cake with coffee buttercream and decorate with swirls of buttercream or chocolate covered expresso beans.
TIP: In light of the whipped cream being quite soft, should cake layers move before adding coffee buttercream, chill cake in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before adding and decorating with coffee buttercream.
