James Martin Coffee Walnut Cake Food

NO FAIL COFFEE AND WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Place the butter into a large mixing bowl and beat until light and smooth. Add the sugar and cream togetehr until light and fluffy.
• One at a time add each egg making sure to beat well to completely incorporate each egg before adding the next egg. If the mixture looks like it's about to curdle add 1 spoonful of the flour. Then add the dissolved coffeee to the mixture and mix well.
• Add the flour and chopped walnuts and gently fold in until fully combined.
• Divide the mixure into two 20cm/8 cake tins which should be greased / lined with parchement paper. Transfer to the oven to bake 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean and the cake is golden-brown. Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
• Whilst the cakes are cooling make the butter icing. Firstly beat the butter in a small bowl until pale and smooth then gradually beat in the icing sugar. Next add the espresso and mix well.
• Split the butter icing mix in half and spread one half on to the flat side of one sponge. Then place the second sponge on top. Finally add the reaming butter icing to the top sponge and evenly spread out. Once the icing is on place the walnuts around the top of the cake as you'd like.

COFFEE & WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter 2 x 20cm springform cake tins and line with baking parchment. Set aside 2 tbsp of the coffee for the filling.
• Beat the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, vanilla and half the remaining coffee in a large bowl with an electric whisk until lump-free. Fold in the finely chopped walnuts, then divide between the tins and roughly spread. Scatter the roughly chopped walnuts over one of the cakes. Bake the cakes for 25-30 mins until golden and risen, and a skewer poked in comes out clean. Drizzle the plain cake with the remaining coffee. Cool the cakes in the tins.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: beat together the icing sugar, cream and mascarpone, then fold in the reserved 2 tbsp coffee. Spread over the plain cake, then cover with the walnut-topped cake and dust with a little icing sugar.