Mochaccino Cake

I saw a Jamie Oliver cake recently that I liked the look of being a fan of coffee cakes so I decided to modify it slightly and make my own version.  If your buttercream is a little thick dilute it with something creamy, I used Baileys to good effect!

MOCHACCINO CAKE

 

 

• 225g butter, softened
• 225 golden caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 50g ground almonds
• 200g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 150ml espresso
• 2 tbsp. Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

 

Buttercream

• 100g butter, softened
• 200g icing sugar
• 150g plain chocolate, melted

 

Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4

Grease and line the base of two round 20cm (8") cake tins

Cream the butter and sugar till fluffy then beat in the eggs

Fold in the almonds, flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt, until just incorporated

Stir in the espresso with the Kahlua and vanilla

Divide evenly between the tins and bake for 20-25 minutes till a skewer comes out clean from the middle

Don't overcook this cake, moistness is the key

Cool on the tins for five minutes then turn out to cool completely on a rack

 

To make the buttercream
Cream the butter and icing sugar till smooth and creamy then beat in the sugar
If too thick to spread easily dilute with something creamy
Spread half the buttercream over one half of the cake
Place the other half on top and spread the rest of the buttercream over the top
Sprinkle with cane sugar for a little crunch if desired





Sweet potato and coconut soup

When I first came across this recipe it was titled 'Speedy sweet potato and coconut soup'.  Speedy? It took 20 minutes to grate the sweet potato and ten minutes to bring it all to the boil, what's speedy about that.  So forearmed is forewarned and this is a delicious soup especially served with warm naan breads.  If your creamed coconut comes out of the carton in a solid block as mine did, don't worry, it grates really easily then dissolves nicely into your soup.  Sorry about the boring photo, its a bit hard to make soup exciting.

SWEET POTATO AND COCONUT SOUP

 

• 1 tbsp. garlic oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp green Thai curry paste
• 750g sweet potatoes, grated
• 1.5L vegetable stock
• 1/2 sachet of creamed coconut
• seasoning ( I didn't need any)

Heat the oil in a large deep pan then soften the onion for five minutes
Stir in the curry paste and cook for a minute more
Add the sweet potato and stock then bring quickly to the boil and simmer for five minutes till the potato is tender
Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut and seasoning if required
Blend to a smooth consistency with a stick blender if you have one or in a liquidiser