This is a real show-stopper. The dark chocolate and coffee cake is coated in a delicious coffee frosting. It’s easy to bake and fun to assemble, so even a novice can produce a great-looking, great-tasting result.
1.Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm loose-bottom cake tin. Put all the cake ingredients into a food processor and pulse to mix; this will produce quite a liquid batter. Pour batter into the prepared tin.
2.Bake for at least 1 hour or until a knife inserted into centre of cake comes out clean. The cake should spring back when gently pressed. Cool in the tin for a few minutes, then remove from tin and transfer to a rack to cool completely. The cake rises a lot − if you want to, trim the top to make it flat. Slice cake into 3 layers. This can be done with dental floss (see Cook’s Tips) or with a long serrated knife.
3.If using rum syrup, combine all ingredients, then brush it liberally over the top of each cake layer. Apply more syrup as it is absorbed, until all the syrup is used.
4.To make the frosting, beat the Kremelta and butter together until fluffy; don’t skimp at this stage – allow 4 minutes for beating with an electric beater. Add the icing sugar 1 cup at a time, alternating with coffee mixture and mixing well after each addition, then add the milk.
5.Working from the centre out, spread the base and centre layer with frosting and stack one on top of the other on a plate or cake stand. Add the top layer and place a large quantity of frosting in the middle.
6.With a spatula or palette knife, begin working the frosting gently over the top and towards the edges of the cake, adding more frosting to the middle and working it out and down the sides.
7.Smooth the frosting over the sides and, when the whole cake is covered, run the flat side of the spatula around the cake vertically to create straight sides. To give a smooth finish, dip the spatula in hot water and dry it before using.
8.Decorate cake with chocolate curls or flakes, chocolate coffee beans, truffles, Maltesers or fresh flowers such as roses, depending on the occasion.
Gluten-free version: The gluten-free version needs more solids in it than the wheat-flour version so I increase the flour to 3 cups, using a blend of 1 cup rice flour, 1 cup tapioca flour and 1 cup cornflour, plus 1 tsp xanthan or guar gum. Reduce liquid by dissolving coffee in ¼ cup hot water and use only ¾ cup milk. Ensure icing sugar is gluten-free. Cutting the layers: Freshly baked cake has a tendency to crumb, so cleaner cuts will result if the cake is a day old before slicing and icing. To cut perfectly even layers, use a ruler to measure the levels and mark them with toothpicks around the cake. Cut a long strip of plain dental floss and wrap it around the cake on the side furthest from you, lining it up with the toothpicks. Use a gentle sawing motion to cut through the crust, then draw the ends of the floss towards you and together so they overlap, pulling floss through the cake, resulting in a quick, even layer.
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