Glazed Coffee Crunch Cake

I do fear I am awfully fond of cake.  Just like Paddington cannot resist a jar of marmalade and Pooh cannot resist a pot of honey . . . I cannot resist a tin containing a cake.



A week without at least one cake in it . . . is a week with something special missing.  An empty cake tin . . . just doesn't bear thinking about, truly.

 

This week it was this delightful Glazed Coffee Crunch Cake.  Back home there is a candy bar called Coffee Crisp . . . and it is one of my favourite candy bars . . . and this is one of my favourite cakes.

 

Deeply flavoured with strong coffee . . . it is a moist cake, with a beautiful crumb . . . and indeed you will find yourself collecting the crumbs on the tips of your fingers to eat because you will not want to waste even the tiniest scrap of it.



There is a fabulously moreish streusel topping stogged full of lovely toasted walnuts, and chocolate chips and delicately flavoured with cinnamon . . . and as if that is not enough . . .



It's crowning glory is . . . a  sweet coffee drizzle. flicked all over the top.  Altogether this is a wonderfully delicious cake and one which is very hard to resist.

 

In fact, I think I'll cut myself another slice now and sit back and enjoy it . . . that is if there is any left.  I do hope the Toddster hasn't been raiding the tin.

 

Cake . . . it is truly my only weakness.  Shhh . . .

 

*Glazed Coffee Crunch Cake*
Makes one 9-inch round cake
Printable Recipe

A deliciously moist and beautifully flavoured cake topped with a walnut and chocolate chip streusel.

For the topping:
60g plain flour (2/3 cup)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
40g soft light brown sugar (1/4 cup packed)
40g cold butter, cut into bits (3 TBS)
90g chocolate chips (1/2 cup)
60g chopped toasted walnuts (1/2 cup)

For the cake:
170g unsalted butter, softened (3/4 cup)
170g golden caster sugar (3/4 cup)
3 large free range eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
60ml strong espresso or instant coffee, cooled (4 TBS)
100g ground almonds (1 cup plus 3 TBS almond meal)
100g self raising flour (9/10 cup) sifted
with 1/2 tsp baking powder

For the coffee drizzle:
130g of sifted icing sugar (1 cup)
strong coffee (cold) enough to make a drizzle

Preheat the oven to  160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.   Butter a 9 inch round loose-bottomed baking tin and line with baking paper.  Butter the paper.  Set aside.

To make the streusel topping measure the flour, sugar and cinnamon into a bowl.  Rub the cold butter in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.  Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips.  Set aside.

Cream the butter for the cake along with the sugar until pale, light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, a little bit at a time, mixing well after each addition.    Stir in the vanilla and cold coffee.   Stir in the almond meal.  Sift together the flour and baking powder and fold this into the batter.  Spread the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing over the top.  Sprinkle the streusel evenly over top of the cake. 

Place onto a baking sheet and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean and the streusel is golden.

Remove from the oven.  Allow to sit in the tin for 10 minutes before carefully removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Once the cake is completely cooled, whisk together the icing sugar with enough strong coffee to make a thick drizzle icing.  Flick this over the top of the cake in a decorative manner.   Allow to set completely before cutting into wedges to serve.  Store in an airtight cake tin.

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