Dutch Coffee Cake with Raisins

This juicy cake smells from all the beautiful spice known from Speculaas Cookies. As per its name this cake consists of lots of raisins soaked in a strong cup of coffee, which gives an incredible flavour. Let me provide you with a simple trick to wrap the loaf right after baking when still warm until the next day. You can sneak and try it straight away, but the crust becomes nicely sticky and tender as I’ve known from Dutch cakes.

When using decaf coffee, this Dutch treat is suitable for kids from the age of 3. Offer as an afternoon dessert just like that or with a layer of good quality butter and a cup of milk. Eet Smakelijk!

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

First, dissolve the instant coffee granules in 1 cup of hot boiling water. Mix.

Place the raisins into a medium mixing bowl. Pour 1 cup of coffee over and stir. Let it cool down for about 5 minutes.

Next, stir in the oil, sugar and egg. Mix with a balloon whisk.

In another small mixing bowl put flour with baking powder and all the spice: cinnamon, gingerbread mixture, nutmeg, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves. Stir.

Take a wooden spatula and slowly incorporate the flour mix into the liquid. At the end add walnuts.

Give it a good last stir with a balloon whisk and mold it into a lightly greased loaf tin (I used 10x30cm).

Bake in the middle part of the oven for about 50 minutes. If it darkens too quickly on the top, reduce the temperature to 160 degrees until a wooden skewer comes clean from the middle.

Once ready, easily flip onto a sheet of aluminium foil and wrap tight. Enjoy with a cup of tea, milk or coffee.

Makes 10 serves.