Coffee Cake

I looove coffee. I also coffee flavored things. Actually anything coffee flavored will do. Coffee ice cream, coffee cheesecake, coffee candy, coffee , you get the point. Well this cake has one cup of strong coffee in it alone. I also add espresso to the cream. It is delicious. As the original recipes says "this is not a cake you have WITH your coffee, this is how you have your coffee." I actual expected it to taste much more like coffee than it really did. Either way, the best part about it was the cream which I adapted from the Tiramisu recipe on the Smitten Kitchen.

Coffee Cake

Ree Drummond, PW

Here is what you'll need (for the cake):

• 2 cups Flour
• 2 cups Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 2 sticks Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Instant Coffee Crystals
• ½ cups Buttermilk
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease two round baking pans with butter or cooking spray.

3. In a large bowl, mix sugar, flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

4. Melt 2 sticks of butter in a pot over medium-low heat.

5. While that’s melting, add 3 tablespoons instant coffee to 1 cup boiling water. Set aside.
6. In a separate bowl, add buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

7. Once butter has melted, add coffee mixture to the butter in the pot. Let it come to a boil for about ten seconds, then turn off the heat. Set aside for just a minute.

8. Pour the butter/coffee mixture into the flour mixture. Stir the mixture together gently.
The purpose here isn’t to mix it together perfectly, but to cool down the heat before adding the egg mixture.

9. Add in the egg mixture and stir gently until well combined.



10. Then pour into pans. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until set.

11. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for a few minutes…

Then turn one of them out onto a cake pedestal or cake plate. Just put the pedestal upside down on top of the pan…
Then flip it over and lift off the pan.

12. Turn out the other layer onto a cooling rack and allow them both to cool completely before icing.

In the meantime make the frosting/cream.

Here is what you will need:

* 1 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese
* 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 1 tablespoon amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy
*1 cup cold heavy cream

* 2 tablespoons strong esspresso

(I used instant espresso powder, you can use 2 tablespoons instant coffee crystals to 2 tablespoons hot water)

13. In a small bowl combine the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, and liqueur in a large bowl and whisk just until blended and smooth.

14. Now add in your espresso... and mix it in.

15. Working with the stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it holds firm peaks.

16. Now fold in about one quarter of the whipped cream into the mascarpone.

17. Then gently, fold in the rest of the whipped cream.
18. You are now ready to ice the cake. First ice the bottom half.
19. Then put the second half on the iced half and ice it also....

20. Finally and evenly, ice the sides of the cake.
21. Now you can leave it just like that or dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder.




You can either now dig in........ as I did...... or let is sit there for a little bit so the cake absorbs the icing. Also, I would recommend storring the cake in the refrigirator so the dairy cream doesen't go bad because of the heat. I am only saying this because the first time I used this cream with a different cake, it went bad after 3-4 days.
I hope you enjoy it.... and don't eat it all alone. After you have a piece of cake, please go and immediatly get on the treadmill. That is what life is about!!! :)