Eggless Coffee Cake with Baileys & Chocolate frosting & Toasted Almonds

My first Eggless Cake! :) Have been wanting to try eggless-baking, since I have a couple of friends who are pure vegetarians. My research on the same surprised me, since I discovered that the substitute for eggs were a few tablespoons of simple vinegar...nothing fancy! :)
I flavoured the cake with instant coffee, and used brown demerara sugar instead of regular white sugar, for the slightly smokier flavour it has. The frosting is chocolate spiked with Bailey's Irish Cream, my favorite liqueur...with toasted flaked almonds that I patted onto the cake, to make it this cake even more decadent! :)

Btw, a big thank you to Rahul, my dear brother, for getting me the lovely cake platter as a birthday present! :)

PART- I : THE CAKE

Dry Ingredients (for cake):
- 2 cups Cake flour (maida)
- 1/3 cup instant Coffee powder
- 1-1/4 cups Demerara sugar
- 2-1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/3 tsp Salt
Wet Ingredients (for cake):
- 1-1/3 cups Water
- 2/3 cups Vegetable oil
- 2-1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2-1/2 tsp Vinegar


Method for Cake:

1.) Preheat the Oven to 190 deg C. Sift the flour,coffee powder, baking powder and salt. Add the sugar and mix gently to distribute evenly.

2.) In a seperate bowl, whisk together the Water, Oil and Vanilla extract. Make a 'well' in the bowl with the dry ingredients. Pour a little of the Water-oil mixture into in and stir gently to mix. Keep adding the liquid mix little by little and mix gently until well combined.
Be careful about not over-mixing or the cake with bulge in the middle as it rises in the oven.

3.) Pour the batter into a prepared 9" round cake tin. To prepare the cake tin, rub the insides with a few drops of oil. Dust with a teaspoon of flour to coat the surface evenly. Alternatively, use a non-stick or teflon-coated cake tin.

4.) Stir in the vinegar into the batter, just before you pop the tin into the oven. Bake at 190 deg C for about 50-55 mins, or till a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool down. Loosen the cake from the tin and remove gently. Place on a wire rack and allow the cake completely before you begin frosting it.

PART- II : THE FROSTING

Ingredients:
1 cup semi-sweet Chocolate chips
1/4 cup unsalted Butter, at room temperature
4-5 tbsp Baileys Irish Cream liquer
1 cup Almond flakes, toasted on a pan or in the oven

Method: 
1.) Heat a large pan with water. Place the chocolate chips in a glass bowl and immerse the hot water. Melt the chocolate chips by stirring gently. Add the Baileys into the melting chocolate. Remove from heat and allow the chocolate to cool a little.

2.) Add the butter into the chocolate. Whip using an electrical beater on medium and then high speed. Continue beating till the mixture thickens slightly. Chill the frosting in the refrigerator for about 10 mins.

3.) Lay the cake onto the serving platter. Line the sides with paper towels to protect the plate from any accidental drips. Slather the frosting onto the cake using a rubber spatula or any other broad-flat spoon.

4.) Cool the cake in the refrigerator while you toast the almond flakes on a non-stick pan or in the oven, till they're golden brown. Sprinkle the almonds all over the cake and 'pat' gently to make sure that they hold onto the frosting.

 Chill the cake in the refrigerator, and remove about 10 mins before you plan to serve it, so that the frosting is firm yet soft....


I  was very pleased with the results of my first eggless cake... and although I love eggs in baked goods, I plan to experiment more for the benefit of my friends who dont :) 


Happy eating! :)