Kitchen Craft Episode 31: Coffee cake

• 225 g cake flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 t salt 
• 175 g butter, softened 
• 200 g sugar
• 2 free range eggs
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup freshly brewed Woolies Italian Blend 100% Arabica ground coffee
• 100 g chopped dates

For the topping: 

• 120 g cake flour 
• 100 g sugar 
• 85 g butter, melted
• 1 T Woolies espresso instant coffee
   

1. Preheat the oven to 160C. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt (if any salt remains in the sieve afterwards, add that as well).
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. 
3. Add the eggs one at a time and mix. Stir in the vanilla extract. Combine the coffee and milk and add to the batter, stirring to combine. 
4. Add half the flour mixture and combine; the add the remaining flour.
5. Dust the dates with 1 t flour to prevent them from sinking while baking, then add to the batter and fold in. 
6. To make the topping, combine the flour, sugar, butter and instant coffee to form a crumbly mixture. 
7. Grease a loaf tin with nonstick kitchen spray and fill halfway with the batter. Sprinkle with a layer of the topping, then add the remaining cake batter. Finish with a generous layer of the topping.  Bake for 50–60 minutes, checking the cake at 45 minutes. The cake is done when a cake tester comes out clean after being inserted. 
8. Allow the cake to cool before removing it from the tin. (This cake tastes even better the next day, and the day after that – if it lasts that long!)

Feeling inspired to bake some treats?

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