This is a truly indulgent chocolate coffee cake that doesn't last long!

Ingredients

• 170 g all-purpose flour
• 340 g sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 170 g butter (at room temperature)
• 90ml hot espresso or very strong coffee
• 3 eggs

Ingredients for icing

• 115g butter
• 1½ tablespoon hot espresso coffee (or ½ teaspoon instant coffee powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water)
• 225 g icing sugar
• 1½ tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Preheat oven to 180 deg C and grease a medium sized cake tin.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy. Add one egg at a time, mix well between each. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and vanilla extract. Finally, add hot coffee and mix well.

Transfer to the cake tin and bake until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean, roughly 40-50 minutes. Once the cake has cooled, slice the cake through the middle to make two layers.

For the icing, melt the butter in a sauce pan and remove from the heat. Add coffee, mix with icing sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla. Stir until smooth.

Using a knife, put icing between the cake layers and sandwich back together. Paste the rest of the icing on top and around the sides. Cool the cake in the fridge to harden the icing.

Place the cake at room temperature 1-2 hours before it is served.