Sunday baking project: Helen Goh’s coffee layer cake with buttercream and brittle

July 19, 2024

Decorate the cake with brittle (pictured) or a ring of roasted pecans.William Meppem

Time:1-2 hoursServes:8

This is based on an old-fashioned coffee and walnut cake that’s made by sandwiching two light, coffee-flavoured sponges together with buttercream.

The pecan brittle topping is optional but adds a lovely texture. A simpler alternative is to place eight to 10 roasted pecan halves around the top of the cake.

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

180g self-raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp fine sea salt
180g unsalted butter, at room temperature
100g caster sugar
80g soft, dark-brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp instant coffee granules dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

130g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g condensed milk
2 tsp instant coffee granules dissolved in 2 tsp hot water

FOR THE MAPLE PECAN BRITTLE

1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp caster sugar
60g pecans, roughly chopped
⅛ tsp flaky sea salt

Method

Step 1
Grease and line the base and sides of two round 20cm cake tins with baking paper and preheat the oven to 170C fan-forced (190C conventional).
Step 2
To make the cake, sift the flour, cinnamon and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light and creamy (about 2 minutes). Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down the base and sides of the bowl after each addition. The mixture will look curdled at this stage, but don’t worry: it will come together at the end. Add the sifted dry ingredients and the cooled coffee, then mix on medium-low speed until just combined.
Step 3
Divide the batter evenly between the two lined tins (about 350g in each tin) and smooth the tops. Place in the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and cool completely before icing.
Step 4
While the cakes are in the oven, make the buttercream. Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until soft and creamy. Reduce the speed to medium, then gradually dribble in the condensed milk, beating all the while. Stop the mixer to scrape down the bowl from time to time. Add a pinch of salt and the coffee, then continue to beat until soft and silky (about 2 minutes). Set aside in a cool place until ready to assemble.
Step 5
While the cakes are cooling, make the pecan brittle if using: increase the oven temperature to 190C fan-forced (210C conventional) and line a small oven tray with baking paper. Combine the maple syrup and sugar in a small saucepan and stir gently over low heat until the sugar dissolves (about 1 minute). Fold in the pecans and sea salt, then remove from the heat and scrape the mix onto the lined oven tray. Place in the oven until golden and bubbly (about 8 minutes), then remove and allow to cool on the tray. When the brittle is completely hard, roughly chop into irregular pieces.
Step 6
To assemble, place one of the cakes on a serving plate, flat side up. Spread slightly less than half of the buttercream on top of the cake, then place the second cake on top, this time dome side up. Spread the remaining buttercream on top and, just before serving, scatter the pecan brittle over the top.