Cappuccino Cake

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Gorgeously grown-up flavours combine in this rich frosted coffee cake, daintily finished with a dusting of drinking chocolate. It's perfect for entertaining or for those times when you just want to spoil yourself.

Serves 3-4

For the cake:
10 ml/2 tsp instant espresso coffee powder
15 ml/1 tbsp near-boiling water
50 g/2 oz/¼ cup butter, softened
50 g/2 oz/¼ cup caster (superfine) sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
50 g/2 oz/½ cup self-raising flour
For the frosting:
10 ml/2 tsp instant espresso coffee powder
100 g/4 oz/½ cup Mascarpone cheese
5 ml/1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar
5 ml/1 tsp drinking chocolate powder


  1. Place an upturned saucer or a metal pastry (paste) cutter in the base of the ceramic cooking pot. Pour in about 5 cm/2 in of hot (not boiling) water, then turn on the slow cooker to High. Grease a 13-15 cm/5-6 in round fixed-base cake tin with butter and line the base with baking parchment.
  2. To make the cake, blend the espresso powder and near-boiling water in a bowl, then add the butter and sugar and beat together for a minute. Add the beaten egg and sift the flour over. Beat for a further minute or until everything is combined. Alternatively, put all the ingredients in a food processor (mix the coffee powder and water together first) and whiz together for 30 seconds.
  3. Spoon and scrape the mixture into the prepared tin and level the top. Cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap) or lightly greased foil and place on top of the saucer or pastry cutter in the pot. Pour in enough boiling water to come half-way up the side of the tin.
  4. Cover with the lid and cook for 2 hours or until the cake is well risen and firm and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Carefully remove from the slow cooker and stand on a cooling rack for 5 minutes before turning out.
  5. To make the frosting, put the espresso powder, Mascarpone and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat together until thoroughly blended. Spread the frosting over the top of the cake and dust with the drinking chocolate powder.


Cook's tip
The cake should be stored in the fridge, preferably in an airtight container. It will keep for up to 3 days. The cake will freeze beautifully, but the icing isn't suitable for freezing, so ice it during or after thawing.