RECIPE

Cappuccino Cake

Ingredients

250g pack butter, softened

250g light soft brown sugar plus two to three tablespoons

300g self-raising flour

4 eggs, beaten

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

200ml very strong coffee (made fresh or with instant) and cooled

For the frosting

500g tub mascarpone

2tbs light soft brown sugar

Cocoa powder or drinking chocolate to decorate

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter two 20cm sandwich tins and line the bottoms with greaseproof paper.

2. Beat butter and sugar together with electric beaters until pale and creamy. Add the flour and eggs in one go and keep beating until evenly mixed.

3. Fold in the walnuts and half of the coffee.

4. Spoon the mix into the prepared tins and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and well-risen.

5. Leave the cakes in their tins for five minutes before turning onto a wire rack.

6. Sweeten the remaining coffee with the extra sugar and sprinkle four tablespoons over the sponges. Leave to cool completely.

7. While the cakes cool, make the frosting. Tip the mascarpone into a large bowl and beat in the sugar and remaining coffee until smooth and creamy.

8. Use about half of the frosting to sandwich the sponges together then, using a palette or cutlery knife, spread the rest of the frosting over the top of the cake.

9. Decorate with a dusting of cocoa powder or drinking chocolate.

If you’re making this cake to eat at home, it will keep covered in the fridge or in an airtight tin for a few days.

Have you missed any of Michelle’s previous A Slice Of Life columns in the Keighley News? If you have there is no need to worry, simply log on to the Keighley News website at keighleynews.co.uk, click on the What’s On tab, then click Food & Drink then A Slice Of Life.

In the past Michelle has shown readers how to make a marmalade and poppy seed tray bake, fudgy chocolate cake with beetroot, cauliflower cheese cake, giant Bakewell tart, an alternative to Christmas pudding, a Rocky Road cake, and a special cake for Halloween.