Coffee cake.

I love a good cake. But often the idea is good, but a bit disappointing in the execution. I am currently reasonably obsessed with river cottage, not only do I love the ethos behind the 'getting back to basic's' that started Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall on his journey, but I also love the fact you can feed yourself from a fairly small home plot, this J and I proved last summer in our old place where we had the most magnificent veggie garden.

We have always had a veggie garden no matter where we have lived, only place that we've probably not really had a garden was when we lived in Perth, the heat and also sand like soil proved to much for even us. Of course now we have moved to a much colder climate than what we are used too plus its right on the coast so a double whammy in the unknown!
Anyway that has nothing to do with cakes other than it is off the river cottage web site.

Coffee Walnut Cake

Prep time

• 20 minutes

Cook Time

• 25 - 30 minutes

Servings

• 10

Ingredients

• For the cake
• 200g plain flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 200g unsalted butter, cut into small
• pieces and softened
• 100g light soft brown sugar
• 100g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 50ml coffee essence (or 1 tbsp instant
• coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling
• water, or 3 tbsp very strong
• fresh coffee)
• 100g chopped walnuts
• 25–50ml milk
•  
• For the buttercream:
• 60g unsalted butter, cut into small
• pieces and softened
• 125g icing sugar, sifted
• 10ml coffee essence (or 2 tsp instant
• coffee dissolved in 2 tsp boiling
• water or 1 tbsp strong fresh coffee)
•  
• For the topping
• 200g icing sugar
• 2 tsp coffee essence (or 2 tsp instant
• coffee dissolved in 2 tbsp boiling
• water, or 1 tbsp strong fresh coffee)
• 50g chopped walnuts

coffee essence, glace, Buttercream, coffee,Walnuts, icing, Cake

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4.

Sift the flour and baking powder together and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, using either a wooden spoon or a hand-held electric whisk, beat the butter to a cream. Add the brown and caster sugars and beat until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, adding 1 tbsp flour with each and beating thoroughly before adding the next. Stir in the coffee essence. Now carefully fold in the remaining flour, half at a time, with a large metal spoon. Fold in the chopped walnuts, and sufficient milk to give a soft dropping consistency.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins, spreading it out evenly with the back of the spoon. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the tops are a light golden brown and the cakes spring back into shape when gently pressed. Leave in the tins for 10 minutes before turning out to cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, prepare the buttercream. Beat the butter to a cream, add the icing sugar and the coffee essence and beat until light and creamy.

To make glacé icing for the topping, sift the icing sugar into the bowl, add the coffee essence and 1-2 tbsp boiling water, and mix until thick.

Spread one of the cooled cakes with the buttercream. Sandwich together with the second cake and cover the top with the glacé icing. Finish with the chopped walnuts. 

This cake will keep for a week in an airtight tin.