Rum and Coffee Cake

I don't drink (alcohol) so I got quite a buzz out of making this cake - literally. Obviously the alcohol evaporates in the cooking process, but the batter is a different story. I don't like the taste of spirits, but it turns out I don't have a problem with them when they're paired with dark chocolate and coffee! And, obviously I couldn't let my children lick the bowl!

This cake evolved from a couple of different recipes: I wanted to make a small-ish cake for tea for Friday's class, and remembered a recipe that promised "this may not be a large cake, but its intense flavours ensure that it is a huge experience." Sounds enticing, doesn't it? But the recipe called for whiskey, and I don't have any.
 So, then I got thinking about making a chocolate torte, instead; but I couldn't get away from the "intense flavours" promise...
So this is what I came up with: a torte and a tot  - or actually a tot and a half : )

It's one of those recipes that you really need to get all your little bowls of ingredients ready beforehand. You know - like the way they always have everything prepared on TV shows.
I always want to bake that way, but instead usually land up grabbing ingredients out of their various storage places as I go along.

Ok, so this is what you need:

Rum & Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
60ml Rum
60ml strong coffee - I didn't bother to make filter coffee, just used good quality free-dried granules
375g dark chocolate, chopped
100g ground almonds
50g flour
50g cocoa powder
75g + 1 TBS caster sugar
4 eggs separated
75g butter, at room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract (I use Vanilla Girl extract, so it is actually just a few drops)

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180'C
Grease and line 2 x 15cm round cake tins (6 inch).
Melt together chocolate, rum and coffee. You can do it in a double-boiler, or in the microwave. If you choose the microwave - slowly does it. It will take 3-4 minutes at low power (30% power in my microwave), stirring or whisking the mixture every 2 minutes.
Allow to cool.

Whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Then sprinkle in the 1TBS of caster sugar, and whip until stiff.
Transfer to another bowl so that you can now use your mixer to:
Cream together butter and 75g caster sugar. Add vanilla and egg yolks. Beat well.
Beat cooled chocolate into butter/yolk mixture.
Sift in almonds - break up any clumps. Beat in.
Sift in flour and cocoa powder. Beat until just combined.
Fold in 1 spoon of the whipped egg whites, then gently fold in the rest. Combine until whites are no longer visible.
Divide equally between the two prepared tins.

Bake for approx 35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs attached
(if you use larger baking tins, you will have to shorten your baking time).

Allow to cool in the tin, then cool completely on a cooling rack.

Pair it with chocolate or caramel icing, chocolate ganache or just a dusting of icing sugar.
...And definitely a cup of coffee...or a tot of sherry ; )

Enjoy!

xxM