Mother's Day is here, why not surprise your mother this year and show her that you love her with this delicious cake! Friends and family may get away with chocolates or flowers, but you will win hands down! For, we all know that the best way to a mother's heart is by showing her that you really care and by making this cake you will be doing just that!
And by the way, don't think, that for one minute, you can get away with doing nothing! For no matter how busy your life is or how stressed you are at work, there are two types of mother on Mother's Day and neither one will forgive you if you neglect her this Sunday!
Mother A—She will maintain that she is cool and calm about the whole thing. She will say there is no need to worry, it is all done by the card industry to make us spend more money, it’s pure hype and she doesn't believe in it. Don't be fooled, she will hope that you will see through her bluff and love her enough to make some sort of effort to celebrate. She will be terribly disappointed come Sunday morning when nothing appears (not a public display of course) but there will be a little look and a sigh and that's it, or so you think, until you realize that you have been given the cold shoulder as she hasn't spoken to you for at least a fortnight.
Mother B—She makes sure that everyone knows her feelings about her day of indulgence! A card won't do it's got to be the whole works, lunch, flowers, chocolates and a day at the health spa, heaven help you if you forget! Not only will you know you are in trouble, your family will know, in fact but the whole town will know. Plus she will have done a survey amongst her friends to see who got what from their devoted children, to prove to you that she was the only mother in the entire country who was neglected by her child! You have been warned, now get baking quickly.
CAPPUCCINO AND PECAN CAKE
6 ounces pecan nut halves, lightly toasted 8 ounces (2 sticks) softened butter 8 ounces light brown sugar 6 ounces all self raising cake flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 4 large eggs 1 small Espresso coffee
For the frosting
6ounces (11/2 sticks) soft butter 3 cups powdered sugar 1 small Espresso coffee
Grease and baseline with parchment two 8 inch cake pans. Place 2 ounces of the toasted pecans in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Place the ground pecans, butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, and eggs in a large bowl and beat together until smooth. Stir in the coffee and divide the mixture evenly between the prepared pans and level the tops. Cook at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and the sponge springs back when lightly pressed. Leave to cool slightly in the pans then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely and remove the lining papers. For the frosting, combine the butter and sugar until smooth, then stir in the coffee. Slice each cake in half horizontally to give four layers of cake. Place one layer on a plate and spread with a quarter of the icing, continue layering with cake and icing, finishing with icing on top. Decorate with the remaining pecan halves.
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Lydia Brownlow's passion for food began as a child at home, cooking with her mother. This then grew into a career spent creating wonderful new canapes for her catering company in London. Now she shares her love of good food and belief in using only the best natural ingredients with her family at home in Hampshire, UK.