Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180℃/375℉. Line an 8" circular cake pan (I use a springform pan) - See Notes to use two pans.
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, sugar and a pinch of salt.
- Boil the water and mix in the instant coffee.
- Make a well in the dry mix, and add the eggs, milk and oil. Whisk together to form a smooth (if a little runny) batter. Finish by whisking in the coffee/water.
- Pour the batter into the lined tin and bake 30-35 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.
For the Mascarpone Frosting
- Once the cake is cool, make the filling! Whisk the mascarpone or cream cheese with the powdered sugar in a bowl until smooth but thick.
- In another bowl, whisk the cream until soft peaks form. Do this using an electric/stand mixer to save a lot of time and effort. Once soft peaks start to form, add the mascarpone/cream cheese mixture and fold using a spatula or metal spoon.
- Spread this over the cake and dust with lots of cocoa powder!
Notes
Notes
- Using two pans: I use one cake pan and slice the cake in half to form two layers. You can use two 8 inch cake pans instead but adjust the bake time down by 5-10 minutes.
- Cookies: The size I use are depicted in some of the recipe photos. They are the packaged cookies you buy in the cookie aisle - not the same size as the large bakery section ones! Overall you want about 1/2 cup cookie crumbs.
- Cream: Make sure the cream is cold to get it perfectly whipped. Whisk for a minute or two, then do it in short bursts to make sure it doesn't get over whipped. It's done when it holds its own shape (fairly stiff peaks).