How To Make Coffee And Walnut Cake – Recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

Today is my birthday, truthful I’m celebrating pinch a classical that, for each nan sticky tres leches and sophisticated sachertortes I’ve enjoyed successful caller years, remains my absolute favourite, my godforsaken land cake: that darling of nan WI beverage tent, nan java and walnut sandwich. The great Nigel Slater erstwhile named it his past repast connected Earth, and I’m hoping to person it for tea.

Prep 30 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 8

225g room-temperature butter
4 tbsp instant coffee (see measurement 1)
100g walnut halves
4 eggs
225g soft ray brownish sugar
225g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp good salt
Milk (optional)

For nan icing
165g room-temperature butter
425g icing sugar
¼ tsp salt
4 tbsp double cream (optional)

1 Soften nan food and brew nan coffee

If you’ve forgotten to get your food retired of nan fridge, statesman by dicing and spacing it retired connected nan insubstantial to soften (remember, you’ll request immoderate for nan icing, too).

Mix nan java pinch 2 tablespoons of boiling h2o and time off to cool – I for illustration nan nostalgic flavour of instant java here, but you tin substitute 3 tablespoons of espresso aliases different beardown coffee, if you prefer.

2 Toast nan nuts

Toast nan walnut halves successful a barren cookware until they smell nutty, past group speech a 4th of nan astir handsome-looking ones to usage arsenic decoration later. Roughly chop nan rest. Heat nan oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4, and grease and guidelines statement 2 20cm sandwich tins. Crack nan eggs into a vessel and beat.

3 Cream nan food and sugar

Put nan food successful a nutrient mixer aliases a ample vessel anchored pinch a damp cloth to dependable it, past hit it concisely to soften. Crumble successful nan sweetener to break up immoderate lumps, past transportation connected beating for respective minutes, until nan food is really ray and fluffy; scrape down nan vessel arsenic required.

4 Add nan eggs and flour

With nan mixer (or your woody spoon) still going, gradually move successful nan eggs and hit to incorporate, again scraping nan sides arsenic necessary.

Tip nan flour and baking powder into a bowl, whisk to sound retired immoderate lumps, past adhd to nan batter. Using a ample metallic spoon, mildly fold nan bottommost of nan substance complete nan top, but do truthful only once.

5 Add nan java and chopped nuts

Add nan salt, half nan java (keep nan remainder for nan icing) and nan chopped walnuts, past slow fold in, conscionable until nan flour and java are wholly incorporated – carnivore successful mind that nan much more vigorously you fold, nan much aerial you will sound retired of nan batter, truthful it’s important not to overdo it.

6 Finish nan batter, past bake

The batter should by now autumn from nan spoon, somewhat reluctantly but without nan request for convulsive agitation; if it doesn’t, loosen pinch a small milk. Divide evenly betwixt nan 2 tins (weigh them for perfection).

Put successful nan oven, connected nan mediate support if utilizing a accepted setting, and cook for astir 25 minutes (check aft 20, though!), until good risen but not excessively dark. Remove nan tins from nan oven, time off to cool for 10 minutes, past return retired of nan tins and put connected a rack to cool completely.

7 Start nan icing

Meanwhile, make nan icing. Beat nan food until soft; my mixer is not bully pinch smaller amounts truthful I thin to usage a mixing bowl, again anchored to nan activity aboveground pinch a damp cloth, and electrical beaters aliases a woody spoon. Sift successful nan icing sweetener to get free of immoderate lumps, past adhd nan salt.

8 Finish nan icing

Beat to combine, past adhd nan reserved cooled java and nan pick – though optional, nan second does make nan icing easier to spread; for a little rich | result; usage a scatter of beverage instead. Put nan little cleanable looking of nan 2 cakes (there’s ever one) connected a platter.

9 Decorate, past serve

Top nan barroom connected nan platter pinch a small little than half nan icing, leaving it thicker astir nan edges wherever it will beryllium seen, past popular nan 2nd barroom connected top. Spoon nan remaining icing complete nan 2nd cake, spreading it retired neatly and adding a fewer swirls for interest, past put nan reserved toasted walnuts pleasingly each complete nan top. Avoid chilling earlier slicing and serving, unless it’s really necessary.

• Felicity Cloake’s caller book, Peach Street to Lobster Lane: Coast to Coast successful Search of Real American Cuisine, is published by Mudlark astatine £16.99. To bid a transcript for £15.29 spell to guardianbookshop.com