COFFEE SPONGE CAKE RECIPE RECIPES

Steps:

• First make the cake. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Grease and line the base of a 20cm sandwich tin. Place the butter, sugar and vanilla extract into a bowl and beat well to a creamy consistency. Slowly beat in the eggs, one by one, then fold in the flour and mix well. Tip into the cake tin and bake for about 20 mins until risen and golden brown. Set aside to cool completely.
• While the cakes are cooling, make the buttercream. In a large bowl or the bowl of stand mixer, beat the butter and icing sugar together until smooth, add the vanilla extract and milk and beat again. Once the cake is cooled, crumble into large crumbs. Add the butter cream and stir together. Take chunks of the cake mixture and roll into balls, transferring each ball to a lined tray or plate, push a lollypop stick into each, then put into the fridge for an hour to set.
• Melt the white chocolate in the microwave, blasting it and stirring at 10 seconds intervals until smooth. Tip the sprinkles into another bowl. Take each of the chilled cake pops and dip into the white chocolate, allowing it to drip off a little over the bowl. Dip into the sprinkles, then stand upright in a mug to dry at room temperature for an hour, or in the fridge for 30 mins.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease a round, deep 20cm tin, then line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper.
• Using electric beaters or a tabletop mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and ¼ tsp salt together until pale and fluffy, then pour in the eggs, one at a time, giving the mix a really good beating before adding the next.
• Add 1 tbsp of the plain flour if the mix starts to look slimy rather than fluffy. Beat in the yogurt. Mix the flours; then, using a large metal spoon, fold them into the batter, followed by the milk.
• Spoon the mix into the tin and bake for 1 hr 20 mins or until well risen and golden – a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean.
• Meanwhile, make the syrup by gently heating 50ml water with the sugar and vanilla in a pan until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. Once the cake is out of the oven, leave to cool for 30 mins in the tin, then use a skewer to poke holes all over the cake, going right to the bottom. Pour the syrup over, letting it completely soak in after each addition.
• Leave to cool completely, then either wrap the cake well or fill and ice it. If you wrap it with baking parchment and cling film, the unfilled cake will keep well for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month.
• For ideas on how to decorate the cake and to try out some variations on this basic cake mixture, have a look at the 'Goes well with' recipes for Simple elegance wedding cake, Birthday bug cake and Summer celebration cake.