Ingredients:

3 teaspoons instant coffee powder (can use decaf)
1 tablespoon hot water
3 eggs
¾ cup (165g) caster sugar
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour (if none for every cup of plain flour add 2 teaspoons of baking powder)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
150g butter, melted

Coffee Syrup

¾ cup (165g) caster sugar
¾ cup (180ml) water
3 teaspoons instant coffee powder

Method:

1) Preheat oven to moderate. Grease 21cm baba cake pan.

2) Combine coffee and the water; stir until dissolved.

3) Beat eggs in a small bowl with an electric mixer about 8 minutes or until thick and creamy. Gradually add sugar; beat until dissolved between each addition.

4) Transfer to a large bowl, fold in sifted flour (and baking power if using) and cocoa powder, then butter and coffee mixture. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

5) Bake in moderate oven about 40 minutes. Stand cake in pan 5 minutes, before turning onto baking-paper-covered wire rack, stand wire rack over a tray.

6) Reserve ¼ cup of the coffee syrup. Pour remaining syrup over hot cake. Serve drizzled with reserved syrup.

Coffee syrup:

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan; stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil, remove from heat; transfer syrup to heatproof jug.

Garnish: I soaked a few flaked almonds in the syrup then put them on top of the cake.

Serves 8

Tip: This cake can be made a day ahead; store in an airtight container.

Taken from: The Australian Women’s Weekly, Chocolate cakes.