Mocha Almond Cake

Hello all!  This moist cake topped with mocha icing looks great with some toasted almond slices on top, and tastes great too.  It was my first time using a ring pan for a cake and it's a good way to change things up a bit!

Recipe adapted from: The Australian Women's Weekly Cakes & Slices Cookbook
Ingredients - cake (20 cm (8 inch) ring cake)
1 tbsp instant coffee powder
1/2 cup boiling water
20g cocoa powder
90g butter
250g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup almond meal
155g self raising flour (or 155g plain flour with 2 tsp baking powder)
Flaked almonds for garnish

Ingredients - icing
60g butter
275g icing sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp instant coffee powder
1 1/2 tbsp boiling water

Method - cake
1. Preheat oven to 190C (375F).  Mix the instant coffee powder with the boiling water and cocoa powder.

2. Cream butter, caster sugar and vanilla essence until light and fluffy.

3. Separate the eggs.

4. Beat the egg yolks into the butter mixture, along with the sour cream.

5. Stir in the almond meal, then the flour as well as the cocoa mixture.

6. Line a 20cm ring cake tin with butter and baking paper, then spread the batter into the pan.

7. Bake the cake for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

8. Let the cake cool in the tin for a bit and then turn it out onto a wire rack.

Method - icing
1. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa and beat it with the butter until combined.

2. Combine the instant coffee with the boiling water and add it to the butter mixture.

3. Spread the icing onto the cooled cake.

4. Garnish the cake with the flaked almonds - toast them first for added aroma and crunch!

This cake is also great in cupcake form.