Sweet.....Espresso Cake From Sarabeth

Kary from My Farmhouse Kitchen and Mary from Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes as well as myself  received Sarabeth's Bakery Cookbook for Christmas.  ( My  book was a gift from Mary.) We thought it would be fun if we all chose something we wanted to bake and then post on it for Valentine's Day.  I of course, went for the easiest thing I could find in the book.  This is what I chose.

This cake is everything a good home made cake should be.  Moist,  delicious and easy to make. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup hot brewed coffee
• 3 tbsp. instant espresso
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 cups superfine sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature, separated

Coffee Glaze

• 2 tbsp. hot brewed coffee
• 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder
• 1 tbsp. whole milk
• 2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour the inside of a 10-to-12-cup fluted tube pan and tap out the excess flour.
2. Combine the brewed coffee and espresso powder in a glass measuring cup; let cool.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.  Beat the butter in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.  Gradually beat in the sugar, then add the vanilla, and beat until very light in color and texture, scraping occasionally, about 4 minutes.  One at a time, beat in the yolks.  Reduce the mixer speed to low.  In thirds, starting with the flour mixture, alternating with two equals additions of the cooled coffee, beat in the flour mixture, beating until smooth after each addition.
4. Whip the egg whites in a grease-free medium bowl with a hand held electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.  Using a silicone spatula, stir about one-fourth of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining whites.  Scrape the batter into a prepared pan.  Smooth the top with the spatula.
5. Bake until the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed with your fingers, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes.
6. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Invert and unmold the cake onto the rack set over a half-sheet pan.  Cool completely.
7. To make the glaze, mix the brewed coffee and espresso powder in a small saucepan to dissolve the espresso.  Stir in the milk.  Add the confectioners sugar and whisk until smooth.  Place over low heat and whisk constantly until the glaze thins slightly and is warm to the touch.
8. Transfer the glaze to a glass measuring cup.  Slowly pour the warm glaze over the cake, letting it flow into the indentations in the cake, and also down the hole in the center in the cake.  Cool completely.