Cappuccino cake recipe

This coffee cake is light, moist and frothy, just like a cappuccino. Even if you're more of a tea drinker, its delicate flavour means your taste buds won't be over-powered. The sponge is easy to make and is one you'll end up baking again and again. It tastes great served warm from the cake rack or after cooling to room temp. Keep it in an airtight tin and it'll last for at least three days - maybe even longer if you pop it in the microwave for about 20 seconds and eat it with cream or ice cream.

Ingredients

• 300g plain flour
• 2tspn baking powder
• ½tspn salt
• 110g unsalted butter
• 250ml milk
• 2tbspn instant coffee
• 4 eggs
• 450g caster sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas Mark 4 and prepare a 22cm round tins with butter and flour.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.
3. In a saucepan warm the milk until just below boiling and stir in the instant coffee.
   
4. Add the butter to the milk and gently warm until melted and then remove from the heat.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with an electric whisk until frothy.
6. Gradually add the sugar and continue to whisk until light and fluffy. This step should take about 10 minutes. Then add the dry ingredients to the egg and sugar mix and fold in until just incorporated.
7. Add the milk and butter and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth, then pour the mixture into the tin.
8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cocktail stick placed into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes and turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool fully.