As much as I adore coffee I am not actually a fan of coffee flavoured things. However, this Gluten-free & Dairy-Free coffee cake is what I term a food group of its own and is a family favourite. It’s easy to make and I have adapted it so it can be made allergy-friendly for gluten and dairy issues. If you cannot have nuts then you can skip the walnut decoration and use chocolate coated coffee beans instead. As a coffee snob, this is the only time I sanction the use of instant coffee.
We use Pure spread instead of butter and Doves Farm self raising flour.
For the cake – You will need:
170g caster sugar
170g spread, plus extra to grease
3 large eggs
170g self-raising flour
1 tbsp instant coffee (add more if you like it strong) dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water or you can use coffee extract
Spring form round 11 inch baking tins lined and greased and oven set to 180 degrees (adjust slightly for a fan oven)
Beat the sugar and the spread together until they are light and fluffy. I find a machine blendder or mixer works but if you need to you can press gang your children into doing the hard work with a hand beater.
Add the eggs one by one and keep beating until well incorporated.
Add your baking powder to the flour and gently sift in to the batter and mix in well.
Pour into the baking tins and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until a cake tester or skewer comes out clean when you poke the cake.
Remove from the tins and allow to cool. At this point you can freeze them to use at another time if you need.
For the icing you will need:
225g icing sugar
100g spread
1 ½ tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
walnuts to decorate (use chocolate coated coffee beans if you prefer)
Beat the spread and icing sugar together, with the coffee mix until it’s creamy and smooth and fluffy.
Use half the mix to sandwich the two cakes together then using a pallet knife spread the remainder on top of the cake smoothly (I am rubbish at this, I work on taste, not visual perfection) and then decorate with your walnuts or coffee beans.
Serve, sliced. This cake serves 6-8 people. If you find yourself sneaking a second slice when no one is looking then I can’t be held responsible and this Gluten-free & Dairy-Free coffee cake goes down well with even people who don’t like coffee when I have baked it for them.
If you want a proper Victoria sponge cake recipe that is also dairy and gluten-free then this recipe is the one that works every time for me.
