Cardamom Coffee Cake

15 minutes prep, 60 minutes cook

Serves 10

Ingredients

125g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

200g light brown Muscovado sugar

3 medium free-range eggs, beaten

2 tbsps instant espresso coffee powder, plus 1 tsp for the icing

250g self-raising flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp cardamom pods, split, seeds removed and lightly crushed (about 10 pods)

150ml tub soured cream

100g icing sugar, sifted

Coffee beans, to decorate (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Butter and line the base of a 1kg loaf tin with baking parchment. Cream the butter with the sugar until pale and light then beat in the eggs a little at a time. Mix the coffee powder with 2 tbsps of boiling water and leave to cool.

Sift the flour with the bicarbonate of soda. Add the lightly crushed cardamom seeds. Fold the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, alternating with the coffee and soured cream.

Spoon into the prepared loaf tin and level the surface. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Mix the icing sugar with 3-5 tsps of boiling water and the teaspoon of coffee powder until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Drizzle over the loaf and decorate with coffee beans, if using. Serve in thick slices with coffee.