Irish Coffee Cake

If you can’t find coffee extract, mix 2 tablespoons of instant coffee with 2 teaspoons of water as a substitute. I thinned the icing with a little cold coffee, adding even more coffee flavor. From “The Irish Cookbook” by JP McMahon (Phaidon).

Makes 1 cake.

2 tablespoons coffee extract For icing

1 1⁄2 sticks (6 ounces) butter,

softened

2 tablespoons coffee extract 2 1⁄4 cups powdered sugar Handful of walnuts, toasted

and halved, for garnish Roasted coffee beans, for

garnish

For cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Pinch of sea salt

2 1⁄4 sticks (9 ounces) butter, plus extra for greasing pan

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon

packed light brown sugar

5 eggs, beaten

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 12-inch cake pans.

Sift flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt together in a large bowl. In separate bowl, cream butter with sugar, then gradually add eggs and coffee extract.

Fold wet mixture into flour mixture. Divide batter evenly between two prepared cake pans and bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven. When cool enough to handle, turn out and cool further on a wire rack.

Make icing: Cream butter with coffee extract in a bowl and gradually fold in sugar.

When cakes are cold, sandwich together with some icing. Spread the rest of the icing over top and sides, if desired. Garnish with walnuts and coffee beans.