2 tb Instant coffee granules
50 ml Water; hot
150 g Unsalted butter; softened
175 g Soft light brown sugar
3 lg Eggs
175 g Plain flour
1 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Bicarbonate of soda
4 Cardamom pods; seeds of,
-crushed
1 pn Salt; generous
MMMMM--------------------------FILLING-------------------------------
2 tb Instant coffee granules
2 tb Soft light brown sugar
75 ml Water; hot
125 g Morello cherry jam
225 ml Double cream
It might only be a simple sandwich cake, but this teatime treat
doesn't compromise on flavour; it's lifted by a sharp kick of
cardamom and brightened by tart Morello cherry jam.
Add 2 tb of cocoa powder to the sponge mixture for an updated version
of kitsch Black Forest gateau.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 20 cm
round cake tin preferably spring-form.
Dissolve the coffee in the hot water and leave to cool. Meanwhile,
beat the butter until smooth and soft before adding the sugar. Cream
the butter and sugar together for a 3-5 minutes, until the mixture s
lighter and fluffier if it still feels waxy and heavy, it needs more
time.
One at a time, beat the eggs into the butter and sugar mixture,
adding 2 tb of flour with the final egg to avoid curdling. Stir in
the cooled coffee. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining flour,
baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cardamom, and salt. Add this to
the wet ingredients and stir for just as long as it takes to achieve
a smooth batter.
Spoon the batter into the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until
well-risen and cooked through so that a knife inserted into the centre
comes out with just a few crumbs stuck to it. Leave to cool on a wire
rack.
Halve the cooled cake horizontally. Dissolve the coffee granules in
the hot water and drizzle over the two layers. Spread the lower half
with 100 g of the cherry jam. Whisk the cream until thick enough to
hold soft peaks (take care not to over-whip it, or it ll separate and
become grainy as it churns to butter). Spread half of the cream over
the jam and sandwich with the upper layer of cake. Spread the
remaining cream on top. Sieve the last 25 g jam and add a few drops
of water to it to slacken slightly. Drizzle this over the top. Serve
soon after assembling.
