Coffee and Walnut Cake

Method

Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.

1. Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F and grease and line two 20 cm sandwich tins.

   Mark done

2. Dissolve the 3 tablespoons of coffee in the 2 tablespoons of boiling water and let it cool slightly.

   Mark done

3. Put the butter, muscovado sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and dissolved coffee in a large bowl and beat until smooth and light.

   Mark done

4. Fold in the chopped walnuts and divide the mixture between the tins.

   Mark done

5. Bake 22 to 25 minutes, until risen, springy and a skewer comes out clean.

   Mark done Start 22 min timer

6. Cool in the tins 10 minutes, then turn out and cool on a wire rack until completely cold, about 40 minutes.

   Mark done Start 40 min timer

7. For the buttercream, dissolve the 2 teaspoons of coffee in the 1 tablespoon of boiling water and cool. Beat the butter until pale, then beat in the icing sugar and coffee for 4 minutes until light and fluffy.

   Mark done Start 4 min timer

8. Sandwich the sponges with about a third of the buttercream, spread the rest over the top and decorate with the walnut halves.

   Mark done

Chef’s Tips

• Use instant coffee dissolved in a little water. It gives the flavour with no extra liquid.
• Cool the sponges completely before icing or the buttercream melts.
• Chop the walnuts fairly fine so they do not sink.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• No self-raising flour to hand? Use the same weight of plain flour plus 2 teaspoons of baking powder per 150 g.

Pairing Suggestions

• A cup of coffee
• A pot of tea
• A glass of cold milk

Storage & Reheating

Keep in a tin 4 days, or refrigerate up to 5 days and bring to room temperature. Freeze un-iced sponges for 3 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.