COFFEE AND WALNUT LAYER CAKE

COFFEE AND WALNUT LAYER CAKE

"Neither of my grandmothers, nor indeed my mother, was a baker but this cake is nonetheless the cake of my childhood. When I was little, I used to make it for my younger sister’s birthday every year. Demonstrated at the 2011 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival."

- Nigella lawson

Ingredients

Sponge

50g walnut pieces

225g caster sugar

225g soft unsalted butter, plus some for greasing

200g plain flour

4 tsp instant espresso powder

2½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

4 eggs

1–2 x 15ml tbsp milk

Buttercream Frosting

350g icing sugar

175g soft unsalted butter

2½ tsp instant espresso powder, dissolved in 1 x 15ml tbsp boiling water

25g walnut halves, to decorate

2 x 20cm sandwich tins

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Butter the 2 sandwich tins and line the base of each with baking parchment.

Put the walnut pieces and sugar into a food processor and blitz to a fine nutty powder.

Add the 225g butter, flour, 4 teaspoons espresso powder, baking powder, bicarb and eggs and process to a smooth batter. Add the milk, pouring it down the funnel with the motor still running, or just pulsing, to loosen the cake mixture: it should be a soft, dropping consistency, so add more milk if you need to.

(If you are making this by hand, bash the nuts to a rubbly powder with a rolling pin and mix with the dry ingredients; then cream the butter and sugar together, and beat in some dry ingredients and eggs alternately and, finally, the milk.)

Divide the mixture between the 2 lined tins and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the sponge has risen and feels springy to the touch.

Cool the cakes in their tins on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, before turning them out onto the rack and peeling off the baking parchment.

When the sponges are cool, you can make the buttercream.

Pulse the icing sugar in the food processor until it is lump free, then add the butter and process to make a smooth icing.

Dissolve the instant espresso powder in 1 tablespoon boiling water and add it while still hot to the processor, pulsing to blend into the buttercream.

If you are doing this by hand, sieve the icing sugar and beat it into the butter with a wooden spoon. Then beat in the hot coffee liquid.

Place 1 sponge upside down on your cake stand or serving plate. Spread with about half the icing; then place on it the second sponge, right side up (i.e. so the 2 flat sides of the sponges meet in the middle) and cover the top with the remaining icing in a ramshackle swirly pattern.

This cake is all about old-fashioned, rustic charm, so don’t worry unduly: however the frosting goes on is fine. Similarly, don’t fret about some buttercream oozing out around the middle: that’s what makes it look so inviting.

Gently press the walnut halves into the top of the icing all around the edge of the circle about 1cm apart