Coffee walnut cake
Coffee and walnut cake with Tia Maria sabayon buttercream
This is a coffee and walnut cake for grown-ups. That said, it’s also a cake you just wanna bury your face in. A good coffee flavour and lots of walnuts—in the cake mix, around the sides, and on the top. No way are you not getting walnuts in every mouthful. And there’s no sickly buttercream here. This is a sabayon buttercream—think custard meets softened butter. Rich and creamy, loaded with coffee and laced with Tia Maria, and just sweet enough. Pretty as a picture on the outside. Then inside there’s 3 layers of moist cake separated by that gooey goodness. Normally cakes in the UK have 2 layers. 3 layers is more glamorous and just screams, “Eat me. Do it NOW!”
Enjoy.
This cake can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Ingredients
Serves 8-10.
COFFEE AND WALNUT CAKE:
2 tbsp instant coffee granules, ground in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar.
150g self-raising flour
165g soft light brown sugar
165g soft margarine or butter
3 medium eggs
1.5 tsp whole milk
Very small pinch of salt
75g chopped walnuts
SABAYON BUTTERCREAM:
6 large egg yolks
100g caster sugar
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp instant coffee granules dissolved in 120ml hot water
454g unsalted butter, softened
3 tbsp Tia Maria of other coffee liqueur
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
200g finely chopped walnuts
CANDIED WALNUTS:
12 walnut halves for garnish
75g caster sugar
75ml water
Method
COFFEE AND WALNUT CAKE:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC or 140ºC fan.
2. Line and butter a 24cm round cake tin.
3. Sieve the self-raising flour, ground coffee granules and salt into a large bowl.
4. Whisk the eggs then add to the dry ingredients with the softened margarine, soft light brown sugar and milk.
5. Mix all the ingredients on a low speed until fully combined.
6. Fold in the chopped walnuts.
7. Pour into the cake tin and level the top with a spatula to ensure an even rise.
8. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Check after 30 minutes.
9. Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then extract and move the cake to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
10. Using a serrated knife, split the cake horizontally into 3 equal layers.
SABAYON BUTTERCREAM:
To make the sabayon…
1. Set up a Bain Marie and get the water simmering.
2. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Keep cold until needed.
3. In a heatproof bowl that will fit into the Bain Marie and ice bath, whisk the yolks, sugar and salt until the yolks are creamed and lighter in colour. Gradually whisk in the dissolved espresso.
4. Place the bowl over the Bain Marie and cook, whisking until the yolks reach the ribbon stage around 80C after about 10 minutes. Set the bowl in the ice bath and cool, stirring occasionally.
To make the buttercream…
5. In another large bowl, beat the softened butter at a medium speed until smooth.
6. Beat in the sabayon in 4 batches, beating well between additions.
7. Beat in the Tia Maria and vanilla.
8. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until cool enough to decorate the cake.
CANDIED WALNUTS:
1. Put the walnut halves in a pan and cover with the sugar then water. Cook over a medium heat until a syrup forms.
2. Drain the walnuts then space them out on a piece of baking parchment.
BUILD AND DECORATE:
1. Locate the bottom layer of cake on a serving plate. Cover with an even layer of buttercream.
2. Place a second layer of cake on top and again cover with buttercream.
3. Place the final layer of cake on top.
4. Decorate the top and sides with the remaining buttercream.
5. Press chopped walnuts around the side of the cake.
6. Dab the buttercream on top with a spatula to create peaks. Arrange the 12 candied walnuts as a clock face.
7. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
8. Let the cake stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Coffee and walnut cake with sabayon buttercream
3 layers of moist cake separated by coffee and Tia Maria buttercream
Walnuts in every mouthful
Coffee and walnut cake topped with candied walnuts