Coffee sponge cake

Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Grease 2 x 20cm sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment. Combine the ground coffee for the cake with 50ml freshly boiled water in a small bowl and set aside to infuse.

Using an electric hand mixer, beat the butter for the cake until soft. Add the soft brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg and 1 tbsp of the flour and beat in. Repeat with the other 2 eggs and 2 tbsp more flour. Add a pinch of salt to the remaining flour and fold in lightly. Pour in the coffee, including the grounds, and fold in lightly but thoroughly.

Divide the mixture between the prepared cake tins and smooth out. Bake for about 25 minutes, until risen and firm and a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cakes are cool, make the buttercream. Put the ground coffee into a sieve lined with a coffee filter, or a new, clean Essential All Purpose Cloth, set over a bowl. Add 50ml freshly boiled water and let it drip through. Beat the butter until soft. Combine the icing sugar and cocoa powder, then sift over and beat into the butter in 4 additions. Pour in the strained coffee and beat in.

Spread ½ the buttercream on the flat side of 1 cake. Place the second cake on top, domed-side up, and spread the remaining buttercream over it. Finish with a dusting of cocoa powder.