Traditional Coffee and Walnut Cake

I was looking through the site for coffee (flavoured) cakes and was amazed there wasn't more recipes for coffee and walnut cake, which when I was growing up was one of the most traditional cakes that was always on sale in the village shop. It used to seem really 'grown up' to me (but was also my favourite!), and this is the recipe my mum always used- I think it might have originally started off as a Delia Smith recipe. Hope you enjoy it :).

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 1 cake

Ingredients

• 175  g butter (room temperature)
• 175  g brown sugar
• 2 -3  tablespoons strong black coffee (cold)
• 3  eggs
• 175  g self-raising flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 100  g  chopped walnuts

• For the buttercream

• 150  g butter (soft)
• 1  tablespoon strong black coffee (cold)
• 300  g icing sugar

• For the icing

• 150  g icing sugar
•  cold black coffee
•  walnut halves, to decorate

Directions

1. Preheat over to 180 degrees Celcius and prepare two 8 inch sandwich tins. Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.
2. Beat butter until soft, then cream with sugar and coffee (I use an electric whisk for this bit). When fluffy and well-mixed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well.
3. Fold in dry ingredients using a wooden spoon and mix until combined, being really careful not to over-mix. Stir in walnuts.
4. Put in prepared tins and bake approx 25-30 mins until evenly browned and a skewer comes out clean. Don't open oven door too soon or the cakes won't rise properly. Once baked, allow to cool in tins 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Once the cakes are cool, beat the butter for the buttercream with the coffee, then sift in the icing sugar. You might need to use more or less to get the right consistency. Sandwich the cakes together. In another bowl, sift the icing sugar for the top of the cake, and slowly add enough coffee to make a runny (but not so much it runs of the cake!) icing, and spread over the top of the cake. Decorate with walnut halves. Enjoy with a cup of coffee :).