This is a moist and moreish cake to have at any tea party, said Jennifer Rinkoff. With a scrumptious mascarpone buttercream, you’ll be tempted to make it every weekend.
Ingredients (makes 1)
- 175g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 175g caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 175g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp strong espresso, cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp milk
For the syrup and topping:
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- 2 tbsp strong espresso, hot
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 250g mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- 150ml double cream
- 50g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- cocoa (unsweetened chocolate) powder, sifted, for dusting
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160C fan/180C/350F/gas mark 4 and grease and line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with baking parchment.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well but being careful not to over-mix. Fold in the flour and baking powder. Stir through the cooled espresso, vanilla extract and milk until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
- While the cake is still in the tin and warm from the oven, make a syrup by mixing the hot espresso with the sugar until the sugar dissolves. Poke small holes in the loaf with a skewer and spoon over the syrup. Leave to cool completely.
- In a bowl, whisk the mascarpone, cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract until thick and spreadable (don’t over-whisk or it may split). Spread the mascarpone topping generously over the cooled loaf using a small spatula.
- Dust with cocoa powder for a lovely finish. Chill for 1-2 hours to set before slicing, and store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
- Tip: this cake can be frozen for up to three months. The frosting and cake can both be frozen but it’s best to freeze them separately, or the finished cake can be frozen if sliced first.
Taken from ‘The Jewish Bakery: over 100 Family Recipes from east London’s oldest Jewish bakery’ by Jennifer Rinkoff.
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