Afternoon Tea, Coffee and Amaretto Cake

Coffee and Amaretto Cake.

Ingredients

3 Eggs
Unsalted Butter 115g
Caster Sugar 50g
Packed Brown Sugar 220g
Plain Flour 290g
Coco Powder 65g
Baking Powder 1 and 1/2 tsp
Coffee (I mixed up a jug with instant coffee and boiling water) 180ml
Amaretto 180ml

Frosting
Unsalted Butter 100g
Icing Sugar 450g
Coco Powder 3 Table spoons
Coffee 3 Table Spoons
Amaretto 3 Table Spoons (or if your like me a hefty splash)

Method
Cream butter and sugars together, In a separate bowl mix together flour coco and baking powder Sift this dry mix and stir  the eggs in gradually to the butter and sugar. Then stir in the coffee and Amaretto this mixture is quite a wet one so don't be concerned that it doesn't look like a conventional cake mix, but do ensure the ingredients are well combined. I baked this mixture in 2 tins at gas mark 3 for 25-35 mins. Cake should bounce back and if you stick test the skewer should be clean.

While cake is cooling, you can mix the frosting, I have been a bit blender happy lately but the wooden spoon method  is fine. Cream together the butter and icing sugar and coco powder (don't be scared to just get your hands in there and really mush it up) then stir in the coffee and amaretto. You may need more than the 3 table spoons of each but before adding more liquid make sure ingredients are well combined, mixture should be smooth enough to spread but dry enough to stick to the back of a spoon. (I blended the frosting and then got the electric whisk out and kicked its ass)

Assembly
Stick the two cake halves together using frosting and then frost the top and sides (super easy)

I am not a coffee fan, but have had excellent feed back for this cake, having been told it is soft and moist and great for afternoon tea.

Chocolate chocolate cheese cake 

Ingredients 

175g digestive biscuits 

50g unsalted butter

100g dark chocolate

200g milk chocolate

200g mascarpone 

100g Philadelphia

200g greek yogurt 

100g caster sugar

Prepare the base

Crumble up the biscuits (I used a blender but a sandwich bag and a rolling pin works) melt the butter (30 seconds in the microwave on low is fine) mix these together and then press firmly in to your cheesecake tin/dish with a metal spoon. Stick it in the fridge to cool.

The gooey bit

Mix together the Greek yogurt and caster sugar add the mascarpone and Philadelphia stir well. Melt the milk chocolate. The best method for this is to break up the chocolate in a bowl and heat over a saucepan of water  don't get water in the chocolate don't let the bowl  touch the water in the sauce pan and try not to burn it, stir continuously then add to the yogurt cheese mix and mix in well.

 Take the base out the fridge and smooth the cheese topping over the biscuit.

  Now melt the dark chocolate once melted drizzle this over the top of the cheese mix swirling into a pattern of your choice then chill for a couple of hours and enjoy.