Golden Coffee Cake with coffee fudge frosting (and a coffee buttercream filling)

Cream together the butter, soft light brown and golden caster sugars, until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a tbsp. of the sifted flour with each of the last 2 eggs.

Beat in the vanilla extract and the coffee. Gently fold the remaining flour into the creamed mix.

Spoon the sponge mixture into the tin and level.

Bake in the oven at 160ºC for about ½ hr. or until a cake tester comes out clean. Leave in tin for about 10 minutes then turn out onto a cake rack to cool.

Make the coffee buttercream filling:

Cream the butter until soft and creamy. Add the icing sugar a little at a time (too much and you will be covered in icing sugar!). Halfway through adding the icing sugar, pour in the dissolved coffee then continue beating until it is light and fluffy.

Slice the cake in half and spread one half of the cake with the filling. Sandwich back together.

Make the coffee fudge frosting

Make this just before you are ready to ice the cake.

Place the butter, soft brown sugar, dissolved coffee, milk and water in a pan. Heat gently until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved completely. Bring to the boil and take off the heat. Beat in the sieved icing sugar until nice and smooth.

Work quickly and pour it over the cake, smoothing with a palette knife dipped in hot water. It will set very quickly. If it cools too much before you use it you can reheat it in the microwave until it is warmed again. In fact it can even be kept in the fridge and reheated the next day.

Cut into squares and decorate with either walnuts or pecans.