Coffee and Walnut Cake

Coffee and Walnut Cake

Last Friday was a bit of a Domestic Goddess moment for me, a rare moment where I wake up far too early and spend my entire day making and baking.  We were visiting my cousins quaint new house on Saturday, and alongside the two cushions I had made for her, I decided to bake a cake for tea at hers.  

Coffee cake is a family favourite, and has a near permanent presence at my mothers house.   Normally shop brought, my main problem with these cakes (aside from the vast number of unnecessary ingredients) is the measly size - when I want cake, I want a hunk of cake.  For this, I use a tin that is 22cm in diameter - perfect size for a wodge of cake.  

Because I don't have two cake tins, I have to make and bake the cake in two parts, so I divide the ingredients in two (i.e 120g instead of 240g) and then repeat it.  

  

INGREDIENTS:

Cake:
240g Unsalted Butter, softened
240g Golden Caster Sugar
240g Self Raising Flour
2 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
4 Medium Eggs lightly beaten
Pinch of Salt
2 Tablespoon Instant Coffee dissolved in 8 tablespoons of water.

Icing:
100g Softened Unsalted Butter
500g Icing Sugar
1 Tablespoon Instant Coffee dissolved in 4 tablespoons of water.
Walnuts to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 190c / 170c fan oven / Gas Mark 5.  Line a suitable cake tin(s).  
2. In a bowl beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
3. Sift in the self raising flour, baking powder and pinch of salt and beat with half of the lightly beaten eggs until just incorporated.  
4. Add in the rest of the eggs with several spoonfuls of the dissolved instant coffee (to taste) and mix.  
5. Spoon into the cake tin and carefully spread to the edges.  Smooth the top and place in the oven for 15 minutes or until cooked.  Try not to open the oven door for at least 10 minutes or the cake may not rise too well.  
6. Leave the cake in the tin for at least 10 minutes before removing and leaving to cool on a wire rack.  
7. Repeat if necessary (if you don't have two cake tins).
8. When the cakes are cold you can start to make the icing.  
9. In a bowl beat the butter until pale with an electric whisk.  
10. Add in half of the icing sugar and beat until thoroughly mixed.  
11. Add in a spoonful or two of the coffee and mix.  
12. Add in the rest of the icing sugar and thoroughly mix.  The icing may be a bit dry so add in a bit more coffee until the icing has reached a spreadable consistency.  
13. Get yourself a board or plate on which to put the cake.  Spread a small spoonful of icing on the empty dish, and put one of the cakes on it.  This will stop the cake moving about.   
14. Using a flat knife or palette knife, ice the top of that cake and put the other cake on top of that (so that you've iced the middle of the cake).
15. Use a small amount of the icing (about a quarter) to carefully ice all the cake (top and sides) and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.  
16. Take the cake out of the fridge and use the remaining icing (you should have about half left) to go over the top and sides.  This should stop the crumbs from going in your icing.  
17. Top with walnuts and serve in generous wedges.