So yeah, I’m a little bit obsessed with coffee cake.  If I’m ever in two minds about what flavour of cake to make, coffee always tends to win by default.  This delicious tray bake is given a mocha twist by the addition of cocoa powder to the batter and made extra moist with ricotta cheese.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 3 medium eggs (separated)
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 2tbsp cocoa powder
• 1tsp instant coffee (dissolved in a splash of water)
• 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup of melted butter (left to cool to room temperature)
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the icing:

• 100g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 200g icing sugar
• 1tsp instant coffee
• Good quality high-cocoa dark chocolate

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Method:

For the cake:

Preheat your oven to 180c and grease and line a 20cm square cake tin.

Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer with the whisk attachment until firm and dry.  In a separate bowl mix together the egg yolks, sugar, coffee, ricotta and butter.  Add the flour and cocoa powder to the egg yolk mixture along with the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and then finally fold in the egg whites with a metal spoon until the mixture is uniform in colour.  Transfer the mix into the cake tin and bake for approx. 30mins until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Remove the cake from the tin and leave on a wire rack to cool.

For the icing:

Beat the butter in an electric mixer with the blade attachment until smooth.  Add the icing sugar in two batches and beat on high until pale and smooth.  Add the coffee and beat again.  You may need to add a splash of milk to your icing to gain the ideal consistency.

To finish:

Spread a thick layer of icing on the cooled cake and grate a generous dusting of dark chocolate over the top.

Cut into generous squares and serve with steaming cups of good quality coffee.