A modern twist on the Classic Coffee cake, this Coffee and Hazelnut Layer Cake recipe was originally featured in the Fairy Baking cookbook of early Australian classic baking recipes.
COFFEE AND HAZELNUT CAKE
Ingredients
1 ½ tbsp instant coffee granules
60ml (¼ cup) boiling water
185ml (¾ cup) milk
250g (1 block) Fairy margarine, chopped, at room temperature
330g (1 ½ cups) brown sugar, firmly packed
4 eggs, at room temperature
350g (2 ⅓ cups) self-raising flour
100g (1 cup) hazelnut meal
70g (½ cup) roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
Method
Preheat oven 180°C/160°C (fan-forced) and grease two 20cm square cake pans. Line bases and sides with baking paper, extending paper 3cm above pan edges
Dissolve coffee in boiling water in a small heatproof jug. Cool. Stir in milk
Beat Fairy margarine and sugar in a large bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined. Mixture may look curdled at this stage
Add sifted flour and coffee milk mixture in two batches, folding until combined. Fold in hazelnut meal. Divide mixture evenly among prepared cake pans. Smooth over tops
Cook 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven. Stand in pans for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool
COFFEE CREAM
Ingredients
1 tbsp instant coffee granules
2 tbsp boiling water
375g (1 ½ blocks) Fairy margarine, chopped
470g (3 ½ cups) icing sugar mixture
2 tbsp milk
Method
Dissolve coffee in boiling water in a small heatproof bowl. Cool
Beat Fairy margarine in a clean bowl of electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add sifted sugar, ½ cup at a time, beating until combined. Beat in cooled coffee mixture and milk
Spread one cake with ½ cup of the coffee cream. Sprinkle with ⅓ cup of the hazelnuts. Sandwich with remaining cake
Transfer remaining coffee cream to a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm plain nozzle. Pipe over top of cake. Sprinkle with remaining hazelnuts
Tips & Hints
Piping nozzles and bags are available from some major supermarkets and cake decorating stores.
