Triple-Layer Cappuccino Cake

I brought in a birthday cake for Astrid today (although it was her birthday nearly three weeks ago, today was the first opportunity for celebration cake). Astrid had requested my take on the Marks and Spencer Triple Layer Cappuccino Cake:

Layers of chocolate and coffee cake, filled with coffee buttercream and decorated with chocolate squares and curls, dusted with cocoa powder.

but without the chocolate squares.

I love a challenge and this also was a good chance to try out some of the ideas for the wedding cake. A baking two-fer you say? Perfect.

I think Astrid was pretty happy with the end result, if not a little surprised with the sheer size of the thing. I don't think I'm over-egging the cake to say that it was ma-hoo-sive.

I was a bit worried the coffee layer wasn't going to be coffee flavoured enough, but it was good (mind you I think the 10oz of butter cream coffee icing helped).

I also learnt some good things in preparation for the wedding cake, like not touching up the icing in isolated areas (see top left corner of the first pic) and that pressing grated chocolate on to the sides of a cake is pretty difficult.

All in all a definite success for me and Astrid.

Here's my recipe for an 8" Cappuccino cake:

Ingredients:
12oz butter
12oz caster sugar
11oz plain flour
6 eggs
3tsp baking powder
1oz cocoa
4tsp instant coffee dissolved in as little hot water as possible
For the icing:
10oz butter
20oz icing sugar
4tsp instant coffee dissolved in as little hot water as possible
To decorate:
150g grated chocolate

Method:
1. For one cake layer, cream together 4oz butter and 4oz sugar until pale and fluffy.
2. Beat in 2 eggs alternating with a spoonful of flour if the mix looks like it is curdling.
3. Sieve the remaining 4oz flour with 1tsp baking powder and gently fold into the mix.
4. For the chocolate layer use 3oz flour and 1oz cocoa. For each coffee layer use 2tsp instant coffee dissolved in as little hot water as possible.
5. Spoon the mix into a greased 8" cake tin and bake for 20-25mins at 180°C (the cake should just about be coming away from the sides and should spring back when gently prodded).
6. Leave to cool in the tin for 20mins before turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. For the filling mix 4oz butter and 8oz icing sugar together with 2tsp instant coffee dissolved in as little hot water as possible. Sandwich the cakes together (coffee-chocolate-coffee) with half the icing between them.
8. Mix the icing sugar, butter and coffee together to cover the top and sides of the cake.
TIP: A palette knife dipped in hot water works really well here.
9. Grate the chocolate and gently press on to the sides of the cake.