Straying from my no-bake traybake territory this week with an easy Coffee and Walnut Loaf Cake. This cake is soft and moist in the center, filled with walnuts and smothered with a coffee flavored buttercream.

If you can get hold of Camp Coffee Essence, then you can use that to flavor your cake. If you can’t, then dissolve 1 tbsp of instant coffee in 1 tbsp of warm water and use that instead. Or, if you prefer a stronger coffee taste, you can use 2 tbsp coffee to 1 tbsp water.

It’s a simple loaf cake to make, just keep an eye on it when it’s in the oven in case it’s starting to get too brown on top – all ovens are a bit different, so timings and temperatures can vary. If it looks like it’s browning too much before it’s fully cooked, you can always cover the top with a piece of baking parchment.

This Coffee and Walnut Loaf Cake can also be made as a sandwich cake, but sometimes, it’s just easier to deal with one cake tin and this just keeps things simpler! If you choose to make a sandwich cake instead, divide the mixture between two greased and lined 7″ round tins and bake for 25-30 minutes. Then use the buttercream to sandwich the cakes together and decorate on top.

Ingredients

Cake

6oz/175g butter, softened

6oz/175g dark brown sugar

3 eggs, beaten

6oz/175g self-raising flour, sifted

2oz/55g walnuts, chopped

1 tbsp coffee essence (or 1 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp warm water)

Buttercream

6oz/175g icing sugar/powdered sugar, sifted

3oz/85g butter, softened

1 tbsp milk

1 tbsp coffee essence

walnuts, to decorate

Method
  1. Preheat oven to 350F/175C.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Then add the coffee essence and mix until well distributed.
  4. Add the eggs, gradually, beating well between each addition.
  5. Fold in the flour and then the walnuts.
  6. Spoon the mixture into a lined 2lb loaf tin and bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
  7. Remove from the oven and let cool briefly before lifting out onto a wire rack to cool.
  8. For the buttercream, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the milk and coffee. Spread over the top of the cake and scatter with walnuts.
  9. Slice and enjoy!
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