Calypso Coffee Syrup Cake

Ingredients

200g butter, softened
1 cup CSR Dark Cane Sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder, dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 tablespoons dark rum (or 1 teaspoon rum essence)
3 eggs
2 cups self raising flour
1/4 cup milk
300 ml cream, whipped to serve

Syrup
1 cup CSR White Sugar
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons dark rum (or 1 teaspoon rum essence)

Method

Syrup
Mix sugar and half cup boiling water together in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves then stop stirring and boil until a dark toffee colour develops. Remove from heat and carefully add the 2nd half cup of boiling water. Be careful as it splutters and bubbles. Stir to dissolve the toffee. Measure a half cup for the cake and stir the coffee and rum into the remainder. Set aside.

Cake
Preheat oven to 180ºC.
Mix butter and dark cane sugar until creamy. Add the dissolved coffee, vanilla and rum. Beat in eggs one at a time, then fold in the flour and milk and half a cup of syrup.

Divide the mixture between 2 x 20 cm tins which have been well greased and their bases lined with baking paper. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Drizzle the coffee syrup over the flat bases of the cakes and then sandwich the bases together with whipped cream. Serve slices with extra whipped cream and a drizzle of coffee syrup.

Serves 6 - 8