NUT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED
This week’s bake is a classic coffee and walnut cake.
Coffee and walnut is a classic combination and this cake looks great – but tastes even better. There are a few steps to making it but the end result is so worth it.
If you don’t have a food chopper, you can finely chop the walnuts with a knife. Serve as your Sunday afternoon treat, complete with a nice cup of tea or coffee and a good book.
Thanks to ao.com/life for today’s bake.
You’ll need
● 80g walnuts, plus a handful of walnut halves ● 165g plain flour
● 165g soft brown sugar
● 1 tbsp espresso powder
● 1/2 tbsp baking powder
● 1/2 tsp bicarb of soda
● 1/4 tsp salt
● 100g unsalted butter, cubed
● 2 large eggs
● 100ml whole milk
● 1 tsp vanilla paste
● 500g icing sugar
● 160g butter (room temp)
● 50ml double cream
● 2-3 tbsp espresso powder
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C/160c/gas 4. Grease 2x18cm cake tins and line twith baking paper. Grease the paper and dust with flour.
2. Place 80g walnuts in a food chopper and pulse until finely ground.
3. Add flour, sugar, 50g of ground walnuts, coffee powder, baking powder, bicarbonate and salt into a food processor and pulse, or mix by hand.
4. Add butter and pulse until the mix is like breadcrumbs. Add eggs and pulse again. Add milk and vanilla paste and process for 2-3 mins until smooth.
5. Divide batter into prepared tins and bake for 25-30 mins. Cool on a wire rack, then remove from tins. 6. Place icing sugar, butter and coffee in a bowl and slowly mix. Gradually add a little hot water to avoid an icing sugar snow storm!
7. Once roughly combined, increase to the maximum speed setting and mix for 4-5 mins until frosting is light and fluffy. Add double cream and mix.
8. Place the bottom cake layer on a plate and add a generous layer of frosting. Sandwich together with the second layer and cover the entire cake with a thin layer of frosting. Chill cake in the freezer for 20 minutes.
9. Add a layer of frosting over sides of the cake. Sprinkle with remaining ground walnuts and some walnut halves.