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 which serves 8-10 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 blender 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. 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.
