Alan's Coffee Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain flour
• 1 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 200ml milk of your choice
• 118ml cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 280ml of Four Left Feet coffee, hot and freshly brewed using the french press or drip coffee method (emphasis on the hot)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 175ºC. Prepare two 22cm cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
   
   
2. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
   
   
3. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to the flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. 
   
   
4. Brew your coffee in the meantime using the french press or filter method. Gradually add the hot coffee to the cake batter and whisk to incorporate well.
   
   
5. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the chocolate cake comes out clean.
   
   
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.
   
   
7. To make the icing, start beating the butter with a mixer and gradually add the icing sugar then the cocoa powder until well incorporated. Beat in the milk. Beat for 5 minutes until the buttercream is light and fluffy. 
   
   
8. Lay one layer of the cake on a serving plate of your choice and top with buttercream to form the middle layer. Place the other layer on top and spread the remaining buttercream on the sides and top of the cake. Garnish, sit back and enjoy (try not to eat it all in one sitting but no judgements if you want to).

Need coffee to go with this recipe? It goes perfectly with our Four Left Feet blend!