Rich coffee & walnut cake
SERVES 12-16 PREP 1hr, plus cooling COOK 3hr 20min (including meringues)
• 150g (5oz) walnut halves
• 20 cardamom pods
• 2½tbsp instant coffee powder
• 375g (13oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
• 275g (10oz) light muscovado sugar
• 6 medium eggs, lightly beaten
• 375g (13oz) white spelt flour, we used Doves Farm
• 1tbsp baking powder
• 50g (2oz) caster sugar
FOR THE SYRUP
• 40g (1½oz) light brown muscovado sugar
• 1tsp instant coffee powder
• 8 cardamom pods, bruised
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM ICING
• 200g (7oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 400g (14oz) icing sugar, sifted
• 2tbsp instant coffee powder dissolved in 1tbsp boiling water
FOR THE MERINGUE KISSES
• 2 medium egg whites
• 100g (3½oz) caster sugar
• 1tsp instant coffee powder dissolved in 1tsp hot water, plus extra, sifted, for sprinkling
1 Preheat oven to 110°C (90°C fan) mark ¼. Make the meringues: beat the egg whites in a grease-free bowl with a handheld electric whisk until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the caster sugar, whisking back up to stiff peaks after each addition. Meringue should be thick and glossy. Whisk in the coffee mixture.
2 Line 2 large baking sheets with baking parchment (use a little meringue to stick down the corners of the parchment). Spoon remaining meringue into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm (½in) round nozzle. Pipe 20 ‘kisses’ on to the lined sheets, spacing apart. Bake for 2hr; turn off oven and leave to cool completely inside.
3 Remove cold meringues from oven and transfer to an airtight container until ready to use. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Put walnuts on to a baking tray and toast in oven for 10min. Set aside to cool. Bash cardamom pods in a pestle
and mortar to release seeds from husks; continue to grind seeds as small as you can. Put seeds and husks into a cup with instant coffee and 4tbsp boiling water. Stir, then set aside to cool and infuse.
4 Grease and line a 20.5cm (8in) deep loose-bottom cake tin. In a bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy, about 5min. Gradually add eggs, a little at a time, adding a little flour if it curdles.
5 In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Strain coffee mixture into a jug and discard cardamom husks. Set aside 50g (2oz) walnuts for the decoration, then finely chop the rest.
6 Fold a third of flour into cake mixture, then half the coffee mixture. Repeat until flour and coffee have all been added. Finally, fold in chopped walnuts. Transfer mixture to the tin. Bake for 1hr 20min.
7 Make the syrup: in a pan, melt sugar with 75ml (3fl oz) water over a low heat; bring to the boil and simmer for 2min. Remove from heat and whisk in coffee and cardamom pods. Leave to cool and infuse before removing cardamom.
8 For caramelised walnuts, spread out reserved toasted walnuts on a tray lined with baking parchment. Put 50g (2oz) sugar and 1tbsp water in a heavy-based pan. Cook on a low heat until sugar has dissolved and increase heat to mediumhigh, bubble until it begins to turn a deep golden colour, about 8-10min. Drizzle caramel over walnuts; leave on baking tray for at least 30min, to set. When cold and hardened, put a few walnuts in a food bag and bash with a rolling pin to crush.
9 Make the buttercream: in a bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a handheld electric whisk until light and fluffy, then add coffee mix and whisk until combined.
10 Spoon about 6tbsp into a piping bag fitted with a closed star piping nozzle and set aside. When cake is cool, slice horizontally into 3 layers. Brush syrup on to each layer and let it soak in for 10min. Spread a layer of buttercream on to each layer of sponge, then stack together. Spread some of remaining buttercream on top of cake to give a thin covering. Thinly spread rest of buttercream around sides of the cake, leaving layers partially exposed to create the ‘naked cake’ look.
11 Pipe rosettes around top edge of the cake and decorate with meringue kisses and caramelised walnuts. Dust meringues with a little instant coffee.
PER SERVING (FOR 16): CALS 693; FAT 42G; SAT FAT 23G; CARBS 68G
A classic cake with a modern twist