This is a sophisticated adult cake. Very good! I prefer to make the cake in muffin tins - using the smaller cakes as individual portions with chocolate covered espresso beans or chocolate shavings on top.

For the cake:

1 stick butter
1/2 cup superfine sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup self-rising flour
2 Tbsp. strong black Cafe Campesino coffee

For the syrup:

2/3 cup strong black Cafe Campesino coffee
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1 Tbsp. Irish Whiskey (I've substituted bourbon)

Decoration:

1 1/4 cups heavy cream
Approx. 1 Tbsp. black coffee or black coffee and whiskey
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 325. Grease two 8-inch springform cake pans. (I've used the muffin tins as mentioned above, then cut them in half and I've also used one springform pan and then sliced that cake in half. If you do this, watch the baking time.)

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, adding a little of the flour after each egg. Beat in the coffee, then fold in the rest of the flour.

Divide the mixture in half and place in the two cake pans and bake for about 40 minutes.

To make the syrup, heat the coffee with the sugar until it melts, then add the whiskey. When the cake is almost cool, prick the underside with a fork and drip the syrup all over both cakes. Fill the middle with the thickly whipped cream and whiskey (blended together — should just lightly tint the cream, flavoring it nicely). Layer the cream only on one cake, then place the second cake on top of that.

Make a glacé frosting by adding a few drops of coffee to the sifted confectioner's sugar, then beating with a wooden spoon until it becomes glossy and can spread easily with a palette knife. Spread the frosting on top of the cake.

Yum — enjoy!

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