Espresso martini cake
Serves: 14-16
Prep time: 55 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Toby Scott
Espresso martini cake
Chocolate sponges are drizzled with boozy coffee syrup then layered up with an indulgent espresso mascarpone icing. This showstopper is luscious and rich – it makes a fabulous celebration cake
Serves: 14-16
Prep time: 55 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
507Kcal
Fat
31gr
Saturates
19gr
Carbs
43gr
Sugars
32gr
Fibre
1gr
Protein
5gr
Salt
0.3gr
Emily Jonzen
Emily Jonzen is a London-based food stylist and recipe writer with almost ten years of experience working on books, magazines, packaging, advertising and television projects.
See more of Emily Jonzen’s recipes
Emily Jonzen
Emily Jonzen is a London-based food stylist and recipe writer with almost ten years of experience working on books, magazines, packaging, advertising and television projects.
See more of Emily Jonzen’s recipes
Ingredients
For the cake
- 225g soft unsalted butter
- 125g golden or white caster sugar
- 100g soft light brown sugar
- 4 medium eggs, beaten
- 200g self-raising flour
- 25g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp instant espresso powder, dissolved in 5 tbsp boiling water, cooled
- 50ml coffee liqueur (we used Kahlua)
For the syrup
- 2 tsp instant espresso dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water
- 100ml coffee liqueur
- 50g golden or white caster sugar
- 50ml vodka
For the icing
- 60g soft unsalted butter
- 125g icing sugar
- 400g mascarpone
- 1 tbsp instant espresso, dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water, cooled
- a handful of chocolate-coated coffee beans, to decorate
Step by step
Get ahead
Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 2 days
- Heat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Grease and line two 20cm round sandwich tins.
- Beat the butter and both sugars together until very light and creamy. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating between each addition. Sift over the flour, a pinch of salt, the cocoa and baking powder and fold into the wet mixture until just combined. Pour in the cooled espresso and coffee liqueur and gently mix.
- Divide the mixture equally between the prepared tins and level out. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the cakes spring back to the touch and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- While the cakes are cooling, make the syrup. Put the espresso, coffee liqueur and sugar into a small pan and place over a low heat. Stir gently from time to time to encourage the sugar to dissolve. Once there are no grains of sugar left, turn the heat up and simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and syrupy. Carefully pour in the vodka and continue to simmer for a further minute. Set aside to cool.
- To make the icing, beat the butter and half the icing sugar until smooth. Sift over the remaining icing sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the mascarpone, along with the espresso, and beat to a smooth, thick icing.
- To assemble the cake, carefully cut each of the sponges in half, horizontally. Drizzle a generous tablespoon of the syrup onto the cut surface of each of the four layers and sit the bottom layer on a serving plate. Spoon on a quarter of the icing and smooth out to the edges. Repeat with the other layers, then assemble, finishing with icing on top. Drizzle the remaining syrup over the cake and scatter over some chocolate-coated coffee beans, to serve.
