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For the cake
- 175 g (6oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
- 175g (6oz) golden caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 175 g (6oz) self-raising flour, sifted
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1tbsp coffee liqueur, such as Tia Maria
- 3 Tbsp. instant espresso coffee, dissolved in 1tbsp of boiling water
For the icing
- 175 g (6oz) golden icing sugar, sifted
- 2 tsp. instant espresso coffee, dissolved in 2tbsp and 1tsp boiling water
- 18 dark chocolate-covered coffee beans
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan oven) mark 5. Line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with a non-stick greaseproof liner.
- Step 2
To make the cake, put the butter and sugar into the bowl of a freestanding mixer and cream together until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding 1tbsp flour if the mixture looks like it's starting to curdle.
- Step 3
Sift the remaining flour and baking powder into the bowl, add the coffee liqueur and fold everything together. Put half the mixture into another bowl and mix in the coffee.
- Step 4
Spoon a dollop of each mixture into the tin, then repeat with the remaining mixture to create two layers. Shake the tin once to distribute the mixture, then swirl a skewer backwards and forwards through it three times to create a marbled effect. Bake for 45-50min or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool.
- Step 5
To make the icing, put the golden icing sugar in a bowl, then add the coffee and stir together. Pour over the top of the cake and decorate with the coffee beans.
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Cook's tip
Want to save 70 calories per slice and a little time? Dredge the finished cake with 2tbsps each of cocoa powder and golden icing sugar and forget the rest!
Per Serving:
- Calories: 300
- Total carbs: 28 g
- Total fat: 21 g
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
