Juliet's coffee and walnut cake
A classic combination, Juliet is here with her foolproof recipe for the perfect teatime treat.
Coffee and walnut cake
Serves 16
Ingredients
For the sponge
300g softened butter
300g golden caster sugar
6 medium eggs
275g self raising flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
150g chopped walnuts
2-3 tbsp strong coffee paste made with espresso powder and boiled water
For the buttercream
500g softened butter
1kg sifted unrefined icing sugar
340g cream cheese
2 tbsp. strong coffee paste (made with 2 heaped tsp. of espresso powder and boiled water)
For the topping
A few handfuls of Finely Chopped walnuts (toasted)
Gold spray (if you want to make bling it up for a special occasion)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan, grease and base and side line 3 x 8” tins.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
3. Add in the coffee paste and mix well on low speed.
4. Gradually add the eggs one by one, mixing well in between each addition and scraping down the bowl.
5. Add the baking powder into the flour and then add the flour into the mixture and mix until incorporated. (Be careful not to over mix as it will make your cake tough)
6. Finally mix in the walnuts and then equally divide the batter into your 8” tins.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until springy and a skewer pressed into the sponge comes out clean.
8. To make the buttercream in a stand mixer add ½ of the icing sugar and add the soft butter on top. Mix slowly until there is no powder left in the bowl, then turn up the speed and whip up until light and fluffy.
9. Add another half of the icing sugar and coffee paste and again mix on slow until incorporated, then turn up the speed and whip.
10. Add the rest of the icing sugar, allow to incorporate and then beat on high for a couple of minutes.
11. Add in the room temperature cream cheese and beat in slowly until combined and smooth.
12. Layer and crumb coat the cake, chill for about an hour.
13. Cover all over with a second layer to make a smooth and neat coating and then decorate with chopped walnuts by pressing them around the base with your palms in a wavy line. (Add optional gold spray for a special occasion).