Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and grease and line 2 x 20 cm cake tins with butter and baking paper.

Sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarb and salt in a large bowl. In a jug, combine the eggs, buttermilk and melted butter and mix well. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix well. Dissolve the peanut butter in the hot coffee. Pour into the cake batter and mix well.

Divide the batter between the prepared tins and place in the pre-heated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing the cakes from the tins.

To make the icing, melt the chocolate and then beat in the butter until well combined. Sift in the cocoa powder and icing sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the coffee and mix well.

Spread a little of the icing on one of the cakes and then place the other cake on top. Using the rest of the icing, cover and decorate the entire cake.

Recipe extract from Alida Ryder’s Cooking from the Heart, published by Penguin. Available in all good book stores for R250. The book is also available in Afrikaans as Kook uit die Hart.

Also try Alida’s recipe for chilli prawns.