Recipes: Creamy Coffee and Walnut Cake

Coffee and cake go together like peaches and cream and, if like us here at AeroPress you love coffee, a delicious slice of cake to accompany your warm beverage will serve to make the experience even more enjoyable. While there are numerous cake recipes you can try, a classic choice is coffee and walnut. A harmonious pairing, not only is this cake super easy to make but it’s also a firm favourite with many, so no matter who you’re with, a chunk of this creamy coffee and walnut cake is sure to go down a treat!

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 120g self-raising flour
• 120g butter
• 120g golden caster sugar
• 50g walnuts
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp instant espresso coffee (powder)

Icing

• 250g mascarpone
• 4 walnuts cut in half
• 1 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 1 dessert spoon instant espresso coffee (powder)
• 2 tbsp milk

Method:

Before you start baking your delicious coffee and walnut cake, preheat your oven to 170C or gas mark 3 so that when the time comes, you can pop it straight into the oven to cook. At this point, you will also need to prepare two baking tins (between 18cm-20cm) by lining the base of the tins with greaseproof paper and buttering the sides to ensure your cakes don’t stick!

Now, you are ready to get your bake on. Begin by sifting the flour and baking powder through a sieve into a large mixing bowl. Then, pop in the butter, caster sugar, eggs and coffee powder and whisk together using a standard or electric whisk until the mixture is smooth. Next, sprinkle in your walnuts and use a tablespoon to fold them in, ensuring they are distributed evenly.

Once you have thoroughly combined your mixture, split it evenly between the two cake tins you prepared earlier. Then, when you have divided it fairly, use a spoon to level off each cake before placing them both in the oven to bake for around 25 minutes until they feel light and springy.

After the allotted time, take your cakes out of the oven and leave them in their tins to initially cool for around a minute. Then, using a palette knife, gently cut around the edges of your cakes before turning them upside down on to a wire rack. Peel back the greaseproof paper from the bases of your cakes and leave them to cool.

Now, it’s time to make your gorgeously creamy icing! Using a small mixing bowl, combine the mascarpone, caster sugar and coffee powder together, adding the milk to the mixture slowly to keep it as smooth as possible.

Once your icing is a spreadable consistency, and your cakes have fully cooled, dollop half on top of one, spread evenly, and place the other cake on the top to create a sandwich. Then cover the top of the cake with the rest of the icing, spreading it using a palette knife or spoon.

While many opt for a smooth finish, you can also make swirling patterns to give your coffee and walnut cake a little more pizzazz! For the finishing touch, dot your halved walnuts around the edge of your cake before enjoying a slice with some freshly brewed coffee.

While you can tuck into a slice of cake at home, taking some with you to enjoy on your travels is also a great idea, especially if you’re partaking in an outdoor activity such as climbing, cycling or hiking that will enable you to build up an appetite. And, of course, don’t forget your AeroPress on the go coffee maker to brew some hearty java whilst out and about!