While coffee makes a great baking ingredient, adding flavour to many cake recipes, it works equally well as a cake topping. Use one of these ideas to quickly jazz up any plain cake, such as Victoria, Genoise or chocolate sponge, Madeira cake, plain muffins or cupcakes.
Coffee glacé icing
You’ll need:
- 100g/4oz icing sugar, sieved
- 15ml spoon/1 tablespoon strong black coffee, made from freshly-ground coffee beans
Mix the sugar and coffee together until thoroughly combined, then spread over the top of the cake. For a variation, add two teaspoons of cocoa powder to the mix along with a few drops of extra coffee.
Coffee buttercream
You’ll need:
- 125g/4½oz butter, softened
- 200g/7oz icing sugar, sieved
- 50ml/2fl oz strong black coffee, as above
Beat the butter and icing sugar together until the mixture looks pale and fluffy. Add in the coffee, and mix until thoroughly combined. Spread over the cake, and use a fork to draw decorative swirls.
Coffee frosting
Frosting is a U.S. version of buttercream, but tends to be even richer and sweeter.
- You’ll need:
- 3 teaspoons instant coffee
- 125g/4½ oz butter, softened
- 175g/7 oz icing sugar, sieved
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons single cream
Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, then add in the remaining ingredients. Beat until thoroughly combined, and spread over the cake.
Coffee sauce
This easy, syrupy sauce is great poured over ice-cream. To revive dry cake, make holes all over the top with a skewer and pour the warm sauce over.
You’ll need:
- 50g/2 oz butter
- 4 tablespoons golden syrup
- 50g/2 oz cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons strong black coffee, made from freshly-ground coffee beans.
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently until the butter’s melted, stirring constantly until combined. The sauce will keep for up to week once refrigerated.