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Coffee Butter Cake

Coffee Butter Cake
This was no one’s fault but my own.
There were 2 other cakes in the house but all I could obsess about was how to tweak Mrs Ng SK’s famous Butter Cake recipe so that I could make a coffee version. 
Then the more I thought about it, the more I had to have a taste of a Coffee Butter Cake. So I baked one. 
Some times I really am my own worst enemy. 
All that aside, I am really so glad I baked this cake. 
This cake will please any coffee lover. You can smell the aroma of coffee as it bakes, and when you bite into it, you will not be disappointed because it tastes of coffee, and butter. Which is the whole point of it all, right! All in all, I am really happy with this cake!
You can play around with the quantity of coffee powder added to adjust the intensity of the taste of coffee in this cake. If you do not have coffee extract, you can also use vanilla extract, so if you are using vanilla extract and you still want a strongly flavored cake, you will have to add a tad more coffee powder.
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make this cake.
In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until the mixture turns pale and fluffy.
Heat the milk until lukewarm. (Do not allow the milk to come to a boil!) Add the instant coffee powder to the milk and stir until completely combined. Set this aside.
Add the egg yolks, one at a time to the batter and beat it in. Make sure the yolk is fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next.
Add coffee extract (or vanilla extract). Mix.
At low speed, fold in the flour and coffee milk in the sequence flour-milk-flour-milk-flour. Mix only until the flour has just been combined. Set this aside.
In a clean mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. 
Gradually add the sugar and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.
Transfer 1/3 of the meringue into the yolk batter. Beat it in.
Gently fold the remaining meringue in 2 batches into the yolk batter until no white streaks remain.
Transfer the batter into a lightly greased and lined 8-inch round pan. Smooth the top as best as you can.
Bake at 170°C for 45 minutes. If the top of the cake gets too brown, reduce the heat to 150°C. You need to keep an eye on the cake and to know how your oven behaves so you can make the necessary adjustments.
When the cake is done (insert a skewer it the cake and if it emerges cleanly it is done), let the cake rest for 5 minutes in the pan before carefully transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely. 
It is then time to make a glass of iced latte and enjoy your coffee tea break!

Coffee Butter Cake
Serves 8

Ingredients
  • 250g Salted Butter, room temperature
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 200g self-raising flour, sifted
  • 70ml fresh milk
  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
  • 1 teaspoon coffee extract (or vanilla extract)
  • 4 egg whites
  • 50g caster sugar
Instructions
  1. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until the mixture turns pale and fluffy.
  2. Heat the milk until lukewarm. (Do not allow the milk to come to a boil!) Add the instant coffee powder to the milk and stir until completely combined. Set this aside.
  3. Add the egg yolks, one at a time to the batter and beat it in. Make sure the yolk is fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next.
  4. Add coffee extract (or vanilla extract). Mix.
  5. At low speed, fold in the flour and coffee milk in the sequence flour-milk-flour-milk-flour. Mix only until the flour has just been combined. Set this aside.
  6. In a clean mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form.
  7. Gradually add the sugar and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.
  8. Transfer 1/3 of the meringue into the yolk batter. Beat it in.
  9. Gently fold the remaining meringue in 2 batches into the yolk batter until no white streaks remain.
  10. Transfer the batter into a lightly greased and lined 8-inch round pan. Smooth the top as best as you can.
  11. Bake at 170°C for 45 minutes. If the top of the cake gets too brown, reduce the heat to 150°C. You need to keep an eye on the cake and to know how your oven behaves so you can make the necessary adjustments.
  12. When the cake is done (insert a skewer it the cake and if it emerges cleanly it is done), let the cake rest for 5 minutes in the pan before carefully transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Note that every oven is different – you need to experiment until you find a temperature that is best for baking butter cakes.
I use 65g eggs for all my bakes.
By Diana Gale
Adapted from Mrs Ng SK