Recipe: Cappuccino and White Chocolate Cake

Ingredients: 

For the cake:

250g pack butter , softened

250g light soft brown sugar

300g self-raising flour

4 eggs (beaten)

100ml hot water 

3 heaped teaspoons of instant coffee

50g white cooking chocolate

50g walnuts, toasted and finely chopped (a food processor is easiest) – optional

For the buttercream frosting:

70g butter, softened

140g/10oz icing sugar

1 tbsp milk

few drops food colouring

drop of vanilla flavouring

For the covering:

200g white cooking chocolate

Recipe

1.    Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Prepare coffee by mixing 100ml hot water with 3 heaped teaspoons of instant coffee and leave to cool. Grease 2 cake tins. Beat butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Add the flour and eggs in one go and keep beating until evenly mixed. Fold in the walnuts (if using) and coffee. Melt chocolate and pour in. Mix. Spoon the mix into the prepared tins and bake for 25-30 mins or until golden and well risen.

2.    Leave the cakes in their tins for 5 mins before turning onto a wire rack. Leave to cool completely.

3.    While the cakes cool, melt chocolate and leave to thicken whilst making the frosting. To make buttercream: beat butter until soft. Add sugar and beat until pale and creamy. Add milk as appropriate to make frosting smooth. You can add a drop or two of food colouring at this point. Add vanilla flavouring and mix.

4.    Spread buttercream frosting onto middle layer of cake. Smooth the melted chocolate when it has thickened and cooled a little onto top layer of cake. If you're making this cake to eat at home, it will keep covered in the fridge for 2-3 days.