COFFEE AND ALMOND CRUNCH CAKE

I got this recipe from Gordon Ramsay’s “Cooking for Friends” cookbook. I was attending a small birthday get together and thought it would be a good idea to try this out. The strength of the cake is the play that Gordon achieves with textures, moist yet crunchy. The use of espresso elevates the cake into something special.

The recipe is as follows:

INGREDIENTS

CAKE:

170g unsalted butter

170g caster sugar

3 large eggs

½ tsp almond essence

100g ground almonds

4tbsp cooled espresso or strong coffee

100g self-raising flour

½ tsp baking powder

icing sugar, to dust

CRUNCH TOPPING:

60g plain flour

40g light brown or demarara sugar

40g cold unsalted butter, diced

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 150ºC/butter and line 20cm cake tin with removable base/

For the crunch topping mix flour + sugar in a bowl and rub in the butter (breadcrumb consistency)

For the cake cream the butter and sugar using hand-held electric beater until light and fluffy

Beat in the eggs, a little at a time. Add the almond essence and mix. Fold in the ground almonds + half the espresso. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold through then add the remaining espresso.

Spread the mixture onto cake tin and level. Sprinkle the crunch topping evenly over the top.

Bake 50 minutes until the top is golden brown and skewer comes out clean. Remove and leave to cool slightly. Dust with icing sugar when completely cooled.