Perk up your afternoon with a generous slice of this light and indulgent coffee and hazelnut cake. Topped with a moreish coffee-flavoured It’s great for enjoying as an afternoon treat or to serve as a celebration cake. For extra flavour, use walnuts in the sponge and icing. Pick up a jar of Little’s instant coffee from our Farm Shop.

Ready in: 1 hour

Serves: 10

Ingredients

175g unsalted butter
175g caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
175g self-raising flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp Little’s smooth Colombian coffee
60g hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

For the icing
150g unsalted butter
250g icing sugar, sifted
2 tsp Little’s smooth Colombian coffee, mixed with 1 tbsp hot water and cooled
40g hazelnuts, chopped, to decorate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Butter 2x 20cm loose bottomed tins and line with non-stick paper.

2. Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray and bake for 5 – 6 minutes until golden then set aside to cool. Once cooled, rub the hazelnuts with kitchen towel to remove the brown skin then chop.

3. Next, tip the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk for around 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs one at a time and beat well in between each addition. Fold in the flour and baking powder.

4. Mix the coffee granules with 1 tbsp warm water and fold into the cake mix along with the chopped hazelnuts.

5. Divide the cake mix between the two tins and smooth the surface. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean and the surface of the cake is springy to touch.

6. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for around 5 minutes, then turn out of the tin onto a wire rack to cool completely.

7. Finally, make the icing. Beat the butter together with the icing sugar and cold coffee until smooth. Sandwich the cooled cakes together with half the icing and top with the remaining half. Decorate with chopped hazelnuts and enjoy.