Coffee and walnut cake

Coffee and walnut cake with a coffee buttercream icing. Topped with walnuts and pecans and filled with fresh cream inside.

I ended up making quite a few changes to the original Konditor recipe and so this is more an adaptation. I preferred the idea of a layer cake and also changed the nuts, filling and frosting.

Ingredients

• 175 g self-raising flour

• 150g salted butter (softened)

• 150 caster sugar

• 2 tbsp instant coffee powder

• 50g walnuts (coarsely ground)

• 1tsp instant coffee powder

• 3 large eggs, beaten

  Coffee Syrup

• 1 tbsp honey

• 50g caster sugar

• 1tbsp instant coffee powder

  
  Filling

• 150ml double cream whipped to soft peaks

  
  Coffee buttercream frosting

• 125g softened unsalted butter

• 225g icing sugar

• ¼ tsp vanilla extract

• 2tbsp instant coffee powder

• 1 tbsp warm water

• About 2 tbsp milk

• 2 x 18 cm cake pans, buttered and lined with baking parchment on the base. Butter the base too so the paper sticks down, else it will be harder to spread the batter which is quite thick.

Instructions

1. In a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and coffee powder together until light and fluffy, you’ll probably need the scrape the sides of the bowl a few times and run a mixer for about 4 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 180c.

3. Mix in the ground walnuts and then add the teaspoon of coffee powder which should be mixed with a few drops of water to form a paste first.

4. Beat in about a quarter of the eggs, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add about a quarter of the flour. Add more egg followed by flour until both are fully incorporated. Try not to overmix.

5. Split the batter in half and spread in to each cake tin, smooth out the top then bake for 17 minutes.

6. Whilst baking, making the syrup by mixing the honey, sugar and 75ml of water in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved then add the coffee powder and stir.

7.  Check the cakes are baked by inserting a skewer which should come out clean.

8. Whilst the cakes are still warm, poke holes in the cake with a fork or skewer then brush the coffee syrup to cover the cakes then leave them to cool.

9. Make the buttercream by first mixing the coffee powder with warm water then set aside in the fridge to cool.  whipping the butter until pale and fluffy. Likely about 4 minutes on high speed.

10. Turn the speed down then add in the icing sugar slowly.

11. Add the vanilla extract and coffee mixture and beat well.

12. Loosen the mixture with the milk adding very #slowly until you get a nice consistency that you are happy with.

13. Spoon the mix in to a piping bag with a wide nozzle

14. Once the cakes are cooled, turn them out and remove the baking parchment

15. Whip the double cream

16. Place one layer of the cake on a plate, pipe a ring of the buttercream along the inside edge of the cake. This will create a barrier to contain the cream.

17. Spread the whipped cream to cover the rest of the cake layer then place the next layer of cake on top.

18. Spread a layer of the buttercream on top of the cake and with a palette knife smooth the top.

19. To decorate chop some walnuts (or other nuts of choice, I used some pecan here as ran out of walnut) and carefully sprinkle round the edge of the top of the cake. I also like to pile a few nuts in the middle as well.

    This cake is best eaten on the day of baking. If there is any left over, due to the fresh cream it is best to keep it in the fridge. This does make it dry out and harden a little.   

This slice of coffee and walnut cake makes the perfect afternoon treat with a cup of tea or coffee or also works as a dessert or celebration cake. The fresh cream in the middle adds moisture and richness but not sweetness to the cake which I prefer.