Irish Coffee Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

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)

Preparation

CAKE:
Beat butter with sugar until fluffy.
Beat in eggs, one at a time.
Dissolve espresso powder in vanilla, beat into butter mixture.
Mix flour, almonds, baking powder and salt; stir into butter mixture.
Spread batter in a greased 8-inch round cake pan.
Bake in 350\u00b0F oven for 30 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
Cool on rack for 5 minutes.
Run knife around edge of cake to separate from pan; turn out onto rack, let cool completely.
COFFEE SYRUP:
In a saucepan, bring sugar and coffee to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar, boil for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and stir in whiskey.
Return the cooled cake to the baking pan, poke holes all over top with a toothpick or skewer.
Pour coffee syrup over cake. Let cool for 1 hour or until syrup is absorbed.
Remove from pan; place on serving plate.
TOPPING:
Whip cream with whiskey and sugar, pipe along the top edge of the cake.
Garnish with coffee beans!
Prep time does not include cooling time.