Coffee cake with mascarpone and vanilla cream

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Grease a 20cm springform cake tin.

2. For the cake: cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale.

3. Gradually add the beaten eggs to the butter mix. Carefully fold in the flour, then spoon the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Test it’s cooked all the way through with a skewer. Remove and cool for a while, still in the tin.

4. Meanwhile, heat together the water, remaining sugar to taste, coffee essence and brandy in a small saucepan, just until the sugar has dissolved. When the cake is still warm, prick it all over with a skewer or fork to better absorb the coffee and brandy mixture that you spoon over the top.

5. For the mascarpone and vanilla cream: Just before serving, make the mascarpone cream. Mix the mascarpone with the egg yolk and icing sugar. Stir in the vanilla seeds and crème fraîche.

6. Remove the cake from its tin. Serve the soaked cake warm, in slices, with the mascarpone and vanilla cream.