Coffee Walnut Cake

I must admit that this coffee walnut cake is one of my most favourite cakes of all. I just love the wonderful aroma of coffee coming out of the oven while the cake is baking. In fact, my family and friends enjoy it so much, I have made this cake over and over in the past. It's a definite winner for any special occasion.

Combined with walnuts and topped with coffee cream icing, it's a match made in heaven!

Coffee Walnut Cake

Ingredients
115g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
115g spreadable butter
2 large eggs
85g castor sugar
1 Tbsp instant coffee powder, diluted in a little boiling water
50g walnuts, very finely chopped

Coffee Cream Icing
350ml heavy cream/double cream
3 1/2 Tbsp icing sugar
1 Tbsp instant coffee powder, diluted in a little boiling water

For Decorations
8 whole walnuts
grated dark chocolate


Method

1) Preheat the oven to 170C. Lightly grease and line the bottom of two 18cm baking tins with baking paper.

2) Sift the self-raising flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl.

3) Add in the butter, eggs, castor sugar and diluted coffee powder. With an electric hand whisk, mix all the ingredients until smooth and creamy.

4) Fold in the chopped walnuts into the mixture with a spatula.

5) Divide the mixture between the two prepared tins.  Smooth the top evenly and bake in the oven for 25 mins. 

6) Remove from the oven and after 30 seconds, loosen the sides of the cakes with a spatula and turn them out onto a cooling wire rack. Slowly peel off the baking paper and then carefully flip the cakes back over so that the bottoms are sitting on the wire rack and the tops are facing upwards (to prevent the top layer from sticking to the cooling rack).

7) To prepare the coffee cream, place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until stiff.

8) Once the cakes are cool, spread some of the icing over one of them and place the other over it. Spread the rest over the top and sides of the cakes. Decorate with whole walnuts and grated chocolate on top.

A slice to go with your coffee, anyone?