Though I don’t like coffee and am not a lover of walnuts I decided to make a Coffee & Walnut Cake as some in my family like it very much. This cake is two layers of coffee sponge with chopped walnuts in it. The two layers are sandwiched by a rich coffee buttercream, with more of that on the top too. Then a few halved walnuts are placed on the top as well.
I saw lots of different recipes on the internet that I could have tried, but I opted for one that I found in The Guardian as they always try several different recipes and then come up with ‘How to make the perfect …..’ So that is what I tried.
The recipe is easy to follow and results in two light sponge cakes in less than an hour, from start to finish. Then making the buttercream is a breeze too.
Mine turned out just as I expected, and I am sure if tastes wonderful. Since I don’t like coffee I didn’t taste the cake, but I had a little taste of the butterream frosting and that had a big hit of coffee.. I know it will be enjoyed by the intended recipients.
I am away for 3 weeks from now, but I have prepared some videos which I will try to put online whilst I am holidaying. Then it will be back to normal at the start of September.
Coffee & Walnut Cake – Video
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- 2tbsp instant coffee dissolved in a tablespoon of boiling water
- 75g walnuts, toasted in dry pan and roughly chopped
- 225g butter, at room temperature
- 225g soft, light-brown sugar
- 4 eggs, beaten together
- 225g plain flour
- 3tsp baking powder
- 1/4tsp salt
- Milk, optional
- 2tbsp instant coffee dissolved in a tablespoon of boiling water
- 165g butter, at room temperature
- 425g icing sugar
- 1/4tsp salt
- 4tbsp double cream
- 25g halved walnuts, toasted in a dry pan
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F and grease and line the bases of 2 x 20cm(8 inch) sandwich tins.
Beat the butter and sugar together until really light and fluffy.
With the mixer still running, pour in the egg mix very gradually, scraping down the sides of the mixer as necessary.
The batter should fall, reluctantly, from a spoon; if not, add a little milk to loosen it.
Once the cakes have cooled, make the icing. Beat the butter until soft, then sift in the sugar and salt and add the cooled coffee and cream. Stir together until evenly combined. Top one cake with a little less than half the icing, spreading it more thickly in a ring around the edge, and then place the other cake on top. Spoon the remaining icing on the top, and arrange the walnuts in a pleasing pattern.
Iam 71 and never ever made a coffee walnut cake before, took me more than one hour and the icing was not thick enough but i tried to cut down on the sugar which did work very well, the sponge was so soft and very light nice crunchy nuts and not too sweet,very impressed. thank you.