Coffee Pecan Cake
Serves: 8 - 10 people
Takes: Over 1 hour
Having a slice of cake with a coffee is a real treat and almost a must in my home. This coffee and pecan cake covers both bases, and you can add a splash of Marsala or Tia Maria if you fancy making it boozy.
Sweetly dusted or iced, this cake is utterly delicious. See my note at the end of the recipe if you fancy making a yummy coffee buttercream to make it truly indulgent..
Ingredients
2 teaspoons coffee granules or 2 shots of coffee
175g unsalted butter, softened
175g sugar
3 eggs
275g plain flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
30ml milk
100g pecans, roughly chopped
50g cranberries or raisins (optional)
1kg loaf tin, lined
2 tablespoons Marsala, Tia Maria or more coffee
icing sugar and extra pecans for decorating
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas 3.
Make a very strong coffee by mixing 2 tablespoons of boiling water with the coffee granules. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar together until pale in colour.
Crack in the eggs, one at a time, beating them in after each addition making sure they are well incorporated before stirring in the coffee.
Sift over the flour and baking powder, and mix well until you have a batter. Make sure there are no traces of flour.
Stir in the milk, pecans and cranberries (if using) and mix well.
Transfer the cake batter to the lined loaf tin and bake in the oven for 50 mins – 1 hour. The cake is cooked when a skewer comes out clean once inserted into the middle.
This is the crucial stage to ensure your cake stays moist. Whilst warm, poke lots of holes into the top of the cake and brush it with the Marsala, Tia Maria or more coffee. The cake will soak up the liquid so keep brushing it on until it's all finished. Remove the cake from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
Before serving, dust well with icing sugar and decorate with more pecans.
My Tip: If you fancy making a buttercream for this cake, beat together 150g softened unsalted butter with 300g icing sugar and 1 tablespoon of very strong coffee. Generously spread it over the cake for an indulgent treat.
