This is a delicious coffee and walnut cake recipe! Beautifully moist, it has coffee-flavoured frosting and walnuts on top to add crunchiness and depth to the cake, creating an inviting centrepiece on any table.

Ingredients

MAKES ONE 22x12cm LOAF

Cake

• 80g butter, room temperature

• 115g light brown sugar 

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs, room temperature

• 100g plain flour

• 1.5 teaspoon baking powder 

• 35g ground walnuts

• 50g chopped walnuts

• 30ml espresso, cooled

Frosting

• 85g butter, room temperature

• 80g icing sugar

• 50ml espresso, cooled

• Chopped  walnuts to decorate on top

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.

2. Lightly coat the loaf tin with butter or nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on each side.

3. In a large bowl, whisk soft butter with brown sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each addition.

5. Sift in the flour with baking powder, scraping down sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

6. Fold in the ground and chopped walnuts and finally add the espresso.

7. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean.

8. Transfer the bake to a wire rack and let it cool in the tin for about 10 minutes. Then remove it from the tin and let it cool completely.

9. For the frosting, beat the butter with icing sugar until light and fluffy, add the cold espresso and mix until combined.

10. Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cake and scatter over some chopped walnuts.

Tips

• For best results, use room temperature ingredients. They will bond together easily, and the batter will be silky and evenly textured.

• If you like a stronger coffee flavour for the frosting, you can dissolve a spoon or two of instant coffee into the espresso (before you mix it with the butter).