Coffee cake

Ingredients
170g butter or margarine, plus extra for the tins
170g caster sugar
3 large eggs
170g self-raising flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tbsp instant coffee, dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water

For the icing
225g icing sugar
100g butter or margarine
1½ tbsp instant coffee, dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
walnuts or cherries, to decorate (optional)

Method
STEP 1
Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Line and butter two 18cm sandwich tins. Add the sugar and butter to a bowl and whisk until very fluffy and pale.

STEP 2
Whisk the eggs in a mug with a fork, then add them gradually to the mixture with 1 tbsp of flour each time. (Make sure you don't use all the flour.) When the eggs have been fully combined into the mix, add the rest of the flour and the baking powder and fold it in gently.

STEP 3
Add the dissolved coffee to the mixture, still folding. Divide into the sandwich tins and cook for 25-30 min until risen and firm and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Can be frozen at this stage.

STEP 4
Meanwhile, make the icing by beating the icing sugar with the butter until light and fluffy, then add the dissolved coffee. Whisk, then cover and set aside until ready to ice the cake.

STEP 5
Spread half the icing on the bottom of one sponge and spread the strawberry jam on the bottom of the other, if using. Sandwich together, then spread the remaining icing on top. Decorate with walnuts or cherries, if you like.