Cake Hour at Ómós

Cake hour is something we have always insisted on at Ómós. Upon check-in, guests have time to relax in the lounge with a cup of tea or coffee, or even something stronger to hand, all while enjoying the daily cake offering. Inspired by the likes of Ballymaloe, the quintessential country house stay in Ireland, we couldn’t help but make it a must. That said, we wanted to put our own spin on it. Whether that means using heritage grains, making use of the market garden’s offerings or just honouring the timeless classics, cake hour is a non-negotiable for us. Today we want to share one of our recipes with you.

Cake hour has become a firm favourite among staff and guests alike. Whether it’s laid out on the lounge table in the Guesthouse or turns up in the staff room, the cake never goes to waste. We are more than happy to receive the test bakes that tend to crop up in our staff room just when we need them most. Paired with filter coffee from our Moccamaster, using some of Farmhand’s coffee roasted in Dublin, they fuel us to no end.

Compliments to our head pastry chef, Molly Rose Maher, for sharing her recipe so that we can pass it on to you. We hope you enjoy it and we hope it finds a place in your own kitchen too. Please don’t be afraid to send us your attempts and we will try to troubleshoot any problems you may face in the comments section.

Happy baking!

Recipe

Coffee and Walnut Cake with Italian Coffee Meringue Buttercream

For the coffee and walnut cake

Tin: 2 x 8inch baking pans

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp instant coffee granules
• 2 tbsp boiling water
• 300 g plain flour
• 300 g caster sugar
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 170 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 4 large eggs
• 150 ml whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100 g walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170 °C (fan). Grease and line two 8 inch baking pans with parchment.
2. Dissolve coffee granules in the hot water and allow to cool slightly.
3. Put the flour, caster sugar, baking powder, salt and butter cubes into the bowl of a stand mixer (you can also use a hand mixer).
4. Mix on slow speed with the paddle attachment until you’ve got a fine breadcrumb texture.
5. Separately whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla and coffee.
6. Add the wet mix to your dry mix in two parts, scraping down the bowl well in between each addition.
7. Continue mixing until just combined, then gently fold in your walnuts.
8. Divide the mixture evenly between your two tins and bake for 24-28 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.

For the Italian Coffee Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp instant coffee
• 1½ tbsp boiling water
• 150 g egg whites
• 300 g caster sugar
• 90 g water
• 450 g unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt

Method

1. Dissolve coffee granules in the hot water and allow to cool slightly.
2. Put the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
3. Place the sugar and water into a saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until the syrup reaches 118–120°C.
4. When the syrup reaches around 110°C, begin whisking the egg whites on medium speed until they reach soft peaks.
5. Once the syrup reaches 118–120°C, slowly pour it down the side of the mixing bowl into the egg whites while whisking continuously.
6. Increase the mixer to medium-high/high and whisk until the meringue is thick, glossy and the bowl has cooled to roughly room temperature. This can take around 10–15 minutes.
7. Make sure the meringue is no longer warm.
8. Gradually add the softened butter, a little at a time, while mixing on medium speed. At some point the mixture may look curdled, loose or soupy. Don’t panic, keep mixing. Italian meringue buttercream often goes through an ugly stage before coming together.
9. Add your cooled coffee, vanilla and salt once the mixture is smooth.
10. Spread across your cooled cake and decorate.