This cake is iconic. British iconic. It first appeared in the 1920’s or 1930’s in Britain and has remained a staple of home cooking ever since. You’ll find it in many British cookbooks and now in many variations on the web. The reasons for this cake’s endurance and longevity are simple: taste and beauty.
The climate and careful cultivation have made British walnuts exceptional. Their deep, rich flavor is nobly matched with coffee. The blend of flavors is comfortable and even powerful on the palate. Here coffee and walnut are part of both the cake and frosting. Although the suggestion is, classically, to dot the frosted cake with walnut halves, you can intensify the flavor by chopping up the nuts and scattering them over the entire top.
In this version of the recipe [perhaps a bit American], the cake is frosted on both the top and sides. You’ll see many versions where the frosting is only on top and between the layers. Again this version has three layers while the “traditional” cake is often made with just two. Variations in appearance are at your discretion. The flavor here, the recipe itself, is something you just want to make as it stands. It’s a classic you’ll enjoy just as generations already have.
Coffee Walnut Layer Cake
Yield: serves 12
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- Oil or butter for greasing pan
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ⅛ cups superfine (caster) sugar
- 4 extra-large eggs
- 1 ⅔ cups self-rising flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- I tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water, and cooled
- I cup chopped walnuts
For the buttercream:
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter
- 2 ½ cups (350g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water, and cooled
- Walnut halves to decorate
Preparation:
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease three 8-inch layer cake pans (sandwich tins), and line the bases with baking parchment.
Put the butter, sugar, eggs, self-rising flour, baking powder, and dissolved coffee in a large mixing bowl, and beat together using an electric hand mixer on low I speed, or a wooden spoon, until smooth. Stir in the chopped walnuts.
Divide the mixture between the pans, spreading it in even layers and leveling the tops. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until risen and springy to the touch. Leave the cakes to cool in the pans for 5 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the buttercream, beat the butter until soft and creamy. Gradually sift in the confectioners’ sugar, beating well after each addition, and adding the dissolved coffee after three quarters of the sugar has been added.
Sandwich the cake layers with some of the frosting and spread the remainder on the top and sides. Decorate with a ring of walnut halves.
Source: Retro Cakes and Cookies by Wendy Sweetser