Coffee, Caramel & Pecan Cake (Makes one three-layer 6ins cake or one two-layer 8ins cake)
Talk about a showstopper. Your mum will love this layered cake which looks impressive but is super easy to bake.
Ingredients:
370g unsalted butter, softened, split into 250g and 120g; 400g caster sugar split into 250g and 150g; 4 eggs; 250g self-raising flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 3 fresh espressos (120ml) or 1tbsp + 1tsp instant coffee dissolved in 5tbsp of boiling water; 150g pecans, roughly chopped plus extra for decorating; 150ml double cream;
1 tsp salt; 500g icing sugar
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 160°C (fan) and line your cake tins with baking parchment.
2. To make the sponge, cream together 250g of the butter and 250g of the caster sugar then add the eggs and mix until combined. Add in the flour and baking powder, followed by two of the espressos, and mix until no lumps remain.
3. Stir in the roughly chopped pecans and divide the batter evenly between two or three cake tins, depending on how many you’re using. Use the back of the wooden spoon to level.
4. Bake the sponges for 20-25 minutes until golden and springy to touch and allow to cool completely. If they aren’t springy, put back into the oven and check again after five minutes.
5. Whilst the sponges are cooling, make your caramel by heating the remaining 150g of caster sugar and water together in a saucepan over a medium-high heat until boiling, without stirring. Try not to agitate the caramel as it cooks and only swirl if necessary, do not stir with a spoon.
6. Once the caramel has become amber in colour (around five minutes) and the bubbles are small, pour in the double cream, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon as you do so. It will bubble up and create a lot of steam, so be cautious. Once combined, stir in the salt and transfer the caramel to a bowl to cool.
7. Once the caramel is cool, rinse the bowl and spoon to make your buttercream. Combine the remaining 120g butter, icing sugar, and final espresso in the bowl and cream together until smooth.
8. Save 60g caramel for the drip, then assemble your cake by sandwiching each layer with the buttercream and a spoonful of caramel spread on top before lightly coating the top and sides with the remaining buttercream to achieve a naked cake effect. Scrape off any excess with the knife. If your remaining caramel has thickened up, pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds before pouring on top of the cake and teasing down the sides to create drips using the tip of your knife.
9. Sprinkle some roughly chopped and whole pecans around the top edge and serve.