This is a cake that I make a lot, but for some reason, not known even to me, I have never posted it here. Sometimes I add 50-100g walnuts to make it into a coffee and walnut cake. Either way, it’s a firm favourite in this household. I have a bread making class this evening and this is the cake that we will be sharing in between kneading and shaping loaves. Then if there is any left the girls will demolish the rest.
The cake follows the rules of the Victoria Sandwich, in that you weigh your eggs and then use that weight for your other ingredients. So today my 4 eggs weighed 220g, so I used 220g butter, 220g sugar (I went with half caster and half light brown sugar), 220g plain flour with 1 tsp baking powder (or for convenience use self-raising flour and then there is no need for baking powder) and a scant cup of strong espresso. You can, of course use instant coffee dissolved into hot water to make a strong coffee solution, or coffee essence.
4 eggs (weigh them in their shells and use that weight for your flour and sugar too)
Softened (room temperature) butter (same weight as your eggs)
Sugar (I used half caster sugar and half light brown, my eggs weighed 220g today so I used 110g of each sugar)
Plain flour (same weight as your eggs)
1 tsp baking powder
Scant cup of strong espresso or instant coffee dissolved in 2 tbsp of water (cooled)
Method
Preheat your oven to 180°c, gas mark 6 or use the centre of the baking oven in a four oven Aga. Grease and line 2 sandwich tins.
Weigh your eggs in their shells and use that weight for your butter, sugar and flour.
Whisk your butter in a large bowl or free-standing mixer until soft and fluffy. Add the sugars and beat well until the mixture is soft and fluffy. This always takes longer than you think it will so be patient and give it time. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well between each addition. If the mixture starts to curdle add a spoonful of flour to the mix and it will come together again. Add the espresso and beat well. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold in using a large metal spoon carefully but thoroughly. Divide the mixture between the two sandwich pans and spread gently to the edges of the tins. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the cake has started to shrink away from the sides of the tin and it feels springy when you lightly touch the top with the tip of your finger. Leave to settle in the tin for a couple of minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
Sandwich the two cakes together with a coffee butter cream.
Coffee buttercream
100g softened (room temperature) butter
200g icing sugar
2 tbsp strong espresso (cooled)
Method
Beat the butter until soft, add the icing sugar and beat gently until combined and then whisk until fluffy, add the coffee and beat until well combined. Use half the mixture to spread on the bottom of one of the cakes. Lay the other cake on top and use the other half of the buttercream on top of the cake. Decorate with chocolate coffee beans or your choice of nuts.
You’ve posted this just in time for my husband’s birthday. He has loved this cake as long as I’ve known him, and I’m always in quest of the perfect recipe. Is this the one?
Happy birthday to your husband Margaret. It’s a good one, but make sure you use really strong coffee to get a good flavour. I am going to pop over and have a proper catch up of your blog later. I have been so busy lately that I have been missing reading everyone else’s news. x
Quality control! Haha! I love all things coffee – chocolates, ice cream, eclairs – so I might well make this this weekend. 😋
Hello lovely Caroline, well QC is important 😉 I hope you make it. Make sure the coffee is a strong one. x
My mum always made coffee and walnut cake and even though we hated coffee as kids, we always loved this cake. Yours looks scrummy. If you need any help in the quality control department ….. ? x
It would be lovely to share a coffee cake with you Cathy. x
this is my kind of cake. And I didn’t know about those helpful weight measurements for eggs-butter-flour-sugar. very cool. hope you are doing well, Kath–baking and teaching.
Thanks Nancy, those measurements are useful. All well here. x
Well quality control in you recipe. I can make this cake during this weekend for kids’ birthday party. Guess they will be very happy. Thanks
I hope they love it Tina.
I’m not a fan of coffee flavoured cakes, but coffee and walnut is CT\s favourite, so I’m sending him over to you.
And he would be very welcome. x
Coffee always my favorite at all time. I always tried coffee cake at pastry but I wanted to bake one on my own. This is the time. Thanks for sharing!