Coffee And Walnut Cupcakes With Coffee Buttercream Food

COFFEE AND WALNUT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Pick out 24 really nice walnuts from your packet and set aside for decorating the cupcakes later. Weigh out 50g (1¾oz) of the remaining walnuts and chop finely, or just break them into small pieces with your fingers.
• Preheat your oven to 180C / 160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F. Put 24 cupcake cases in the holes of a cupcake tin. (See Note 3.)
• In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar thoroughly, until the mixture starts to look a little bit paler.
• Add in one egg at a time and stir until each egg is completely mixed in before adding the next one.
• Add in half the flour and stir gently until just combined. Add in the remaining flour and, again, stir gently until the flour is just combined.
• Add in the finely chopped walnuts and the strong black coffee and stir just enough to ensure the walnuts are evenly distributed.
• Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases. (I find 1 heaped tablespoon of mixture per cupcake case is about right.)
• Put the cupcakes in your preheated oven for 13 minutes. After 13 minutes, get them out and check for doneness by pressing the tops. If they make a little crunchy sound, pop them in for two more minutes. If they don't make a sound when you press the top, they are done. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the cupcake tray.
• Don't try and ice the cupcakes until they are completely cold! (They take about 1 hour to cool.)
• Put the softened butter and sieved icing sugar in a bowl and beat together until smooth. Add in the coffee and beat again until evenly mixed in.
• Using a regular table knife, smooth a little of the icing onto the top of each cupcake and top with a walnut.

COFFEE CREAM & WALNUT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and make sure there's a shelf ready in the middle. Line a 12-hole bun tin with fairy cake cases. Beat the butter, sugar, flour and eggs with 4 tsp of the coffee and a pinch of salt until creamy. Stir in the chopped walnuts.
• Spoon the mix into the cases (start by adding 1 heaped tsp to each, then go back and top them up - that way they should all be of equal size), then bake for 18-20 mins until light golden and springy. Cool for a few mins in the tin, then lift the cakes out and cool completely on a rack.
• Put the mascarpone, 3 tsp more of the coffee and the sugar into a large bowl, then beat together. Spread a dollop of the coffee cream onto the top of each cake, then finish with a walnut half. The cakes are best if they're iced fairly near the time of eating, so if you're making ahead, whip up the mascarpone mix, keep in the fridge, beat it again, then spoon onto the cakes just before serving. Un-iced cakes will keep up to 2 days in an airtight container.

COFFEE AND WALNUT CUPCAKES WITH COFFEE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 180C / 350F / 160C fan forced. Line your muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
• Boil the kettle and add 2 tablespoons (note 1) of boiling water to the coffee granules. Mix to dissolve, then set aside.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cornflour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well to combine.
• In a separate large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the melted butter and both sugars until combined.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beat with a whisk until completely combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
• Add the vanilla and beat to combine.
• Add one third of the flour mixture. Stir through gently until just combined. Now add half of the buttermilk and the dissolved coffee mixture. Mix gently again. Continue like this until all the flour and buttermilk is combined... just.
• Add the walnuts and gently mix them through (just a couple of turns). It is important not to overmix or be too heavy-handed otherwise your cupcakes will turn out dry and tough.
• Divide the mixture among the cupcake cases to about two-thirds full.
• Bake for around 18-20 minutes, turning the pan around halfway through to make sure they bake evenly. When a toothpick inserted comes out with just a crumb or two, they are done.
• Cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire cooling rack
• Combine the coffee granules with 1 tablespoon (note 1) of boiling water. Stir to dissolve, then set aside
• Beat together the butter and ½ a cup of the icing sugar until light and fluffy. Now, with the mixer on low, gradually add in the rest of the icing sugar.
• Once it is all combined, add the coffee and vanilla, and beat for 5 minutes on medium-high. If the buttercream seems too loose to pipe, just add a little more icing sugar as necessary to thicken it.
• Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe the buttercream on top. Serve as they are or decorate with crushed walnuts or walnut praline.

FLUFFY COFFEE AND WALNUT CAKE WITH MOCHA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°. Lightly butter three 8"-diameter cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Toast 2 cups (250 g) raw walnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 12-14 minutes. Let cool. Set aside 1 cup walnuts for serving.
• Meanwhile, cook ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately stir in ½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil or refined coconut oil, melted. Set brown butter mixture aside.
• Pulse remaining 1 cup toasted walnuts in a food processor until coarsely ground (it should be the texture of panko). Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, 2¼ tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ½ tsp. baking soda.
• Process 4 large eggs, 1¼ cups (250 g) sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla extract, and 1 tsp. instant espresso powder in food processor (no need to clean bowl) until mixture is lightened in color and thickened, about 30 seconds. Stir 2 Tbsp. whole milk into reserved brown butter mixture. With motor running, gradually stream brown butter mixture into egg mixture and process until combined. Add dry ingredients and process just until a smooth batter forms. Divide batter among prepared pans.
• Bake cakes, rotating pans front to back after 15 minutes, until puffed and just starting to pull away from the sides of pans and a tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, 20-22 minutes. Transfer pans to wire racks and let cakes cool 15 minutes. Run a small knife around edges of each cake to release from pan if needed. Turn out cakes onto racks and remove parchment paper; discard. Turn cakes right side up and let cool completely.
• Combine 8 large egg whites, 2¼ cups (450 g) sugar, ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set over a medium saucepan filled with 1½" of simmering water (bowl should not touch water). Heat, stirring and scraping often with a heatproof rubber spatula, until sugar is dissolved and an instant-read thermometer registers 185°, 10-15 minutes.
• Fit bowl onto stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment and beat, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high, until meringue is shiny and stiff, 8-10 minutes. Beat in 1 tsp. vanilla extract.
• With mixer on medium speed, add 3 cups (6 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, a piece at a time, mixing until incorporated before adding more. Once all the butter has been added, increase speed to high and beat 1 minute. Transfer buttercream in bowl to refrigerator and chill 30 minutes.
• Fit bowl with buttercream back onto stand mixer and add ¼ cup (21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if needed, and 2 tsp. instant espresso powder. Beat on medium-low speed, scraping down sides as needed, until combined.
• Using a large serrated knife and long sawing strokes, remove tops of cakes to level if needed. Place a cake layer, right side up, on a cake stand or large plate. Using an offset spatula, spread ¼ cup buttercream over cake, working all the way to the edges. Place second cake layer, right side up, on top; spread another ¼ cup buttercream over cake, working all the way to the edges. Place third cake layer, cut side down, on top, and press lightly to adhere. Spread top and sides of cake with ½ cup buttercream in a thin, even layer. Chill, uncovered, at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours. (If chilling cake longer than 1 hour, cover remaining buttercream in bowl and chill. Bring to room temperature and beat again before using.)