Coffee-soaked Gateau

Recipe from Cakes, Pastries and Breads
Images by Yasmin

This cake was served as a 53rd birthday cake for my father. He is a very happy man who loves his coffee. This cake matches his personality perfectly; strong (flavoured), handsome (appearance), hearty (dessert), and an all round (shape pun intended!) lovely man (cake). This cake I am told tastes like Tiramisu, but I wouldn't know because I have never tasted one. But I can tell you that this cake tastes delicious and has a strong coffee/liquor flavour! This post is dedicated to all those hard working fathers who need to be thanked and given a treat to commemorate their birth, which is definately something to celebrate. I love you dad! Happy Birthday!



Ingredients:

For Cake:

• 185g butter
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 3 x 60g eggs, lighty beaten
• 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

For Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups water
• 3 tblsp strong black coffee
• 3 tblsp rum

To decorate:

• 1 1/2 cups cream, lightly whipped
• cocoa, to dust

Method:

Well grease a 20cm cake tine and line the base with greased greaseproof paper. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last amount. Sift in the flour, then fold in carefully. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and level off. Bake in a moderately hot oven for 45-50 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes.

While the cake is cooking dissolve the sugar in the water and coffee in a pan over a low heat and add the rum.

Turn the cake out of the tin on to a serving plate. Pierce it all over with a skewer, then pour over some of the warm coffee syrup. Leave this to soak in, then pour over some more and continue to do this until the cake has absorbed all the syrup. Leave the cake to stand for at least 6 hours.

Spread the whipped cream all over the top and sides of the cake and decorate the top with a dusting of cocoa. Serve with coffee.