Coffee and Walnut Cake with Chocolate Walnuts

Tarts

I made this cake a couple of weeks ago for my boyfriends mum to take to a coffee and cake morning and apparently  it went down a storm. A delicately flavoured sponge infused with espresso and filled with finely chopped walnuts and decorated with a light scraping of coffee buttercream and topped with walnuts dipped in glossy dark chocolate. This cake is ridiculously easy to make and is perfect for an afternoon tea.

Cake Ingredients 

  • 225 grams unsalted butter (softened)
  • 225 caster sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 large teaspoons of coffee dissolved in 50mls of water
  • 225 grams of self raising flour
  • 75 grams of chopped walnuts

Buttercream and Topping Recipe

  • 125 grams of unsalted butter (softened)
  • 225 grams of icing sugar
  • 3 teaspoons of coffee granules dissolved in 1tsp of water
  • 100 grams of Walnut halves (one large handful approximately)
  • 200 grams of good quality dark chocolate (I used Lindt)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4. Place the softened butter in a large mixing bowl and beat it until it is light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat it until it is creamy.
  2. Add the eggs one at a time- ensure each egg is beaten into the mixture before adding the next egg. Add the coffee and mix well (I used an electric mix and beat the mixture on high for about 2 minutes).
  3. Add the flour and chopped walnuts and gently fold together until the mixture is combined.
  4. Grease two 20cm/2 cake tins with butter and gently pour the batter into the tins; bake the cakes for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the sponges are a light golden brown (or stick a skewer into the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean then it is cooked). Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool on the side for at least an hour.
  5. To make the icing; beat the butter until it is pale and smooth and then gradually beat in the icing sugar. Then add in the espresso and mix well.
  6. Remove the sponges from the cake tins; spread one half of the buttercream onto the flat side of the first sponge and use a knife to smooth it out. Place the second sponge on top and add the remaining buttercream; then smooth out.
  7. Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water; is until the chocolate is completely melted. Dip the walnuts in carefully on one side and place on parchment paper. Do this with all of the walnuts and then place them in the fridge for about half an hour or until the chocolate is completely set. Place the walnuts over the top of the cake as you would like.

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