Irish Coffee Cake

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder or 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Coffee Syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup strong black coffee
• 1/4 cup Irish whiskey
• Topping
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons Irish whiskey
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• chocolate-covered coffee beans (optional)

1. CAKE:
2. Beat butter with sugar until fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
4. Dissolve espresso powder in vanilla, beat into butter mixture.
5. Mix flour, almonds, baking powder and salt; stir into butter mixture.
6. Spread batter in a greased 8-inch round cake pan.
7. Bake in 350u0b0F oven for 30 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
8. Cool on rack for 5 minutes.
9. Run knife around edge of cake to separate from pan; turn out onto rack, let cool completely.
10. COFFEE SYRUP:
11. In a saucepan, bring sugar and coffee to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar, boil for 1 minute.
12. Remove from heat and stir in whiskey.
13. Return the cooled cake to the baking pan, poke holes all over top with a toothpick or skewer.
14. Pour coffee syrup over cake. Let cool for 1 hour or until syrup is absorbed.
15. Remove from pan; place on serving plate.
16. TOPPING:
17. Whip cream with whiskey and sugar, pipe along the top edge of the cake.
18. Garnish with coffee beans!
19. Prep time does not include cooling time.

butter, white sugar, eggs, espresso powder, vanilla, flour, slivered almonds, baking powder, salt, coffee syrup, sugar, strong black coffee, irish whiskey, topping, whipping cream, irish whiskey, sugar, chocolatecovered coffee beans

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/irish-coffee-cake-171393 (may not work)