Coffee-Walnut Cake with Coffee Buttercream

I first started working on this recipe as a potential entry in the "Ethnic Baking:Cake" category at the State Fair. While it is an English cake--rather than a Scottish one, obviously!--it is also a teatime and dessert classic.  Interestingly, the coffee flavor in the cake isn't super obvious due to the combination with the walnuts.  So if you don't like the taste of coffee, you might actually like the cake with a different flavor of frosting besides the traditional coffee buttercream.    

This recipe is based on/riffed off a few different versions I found online including this one and this one.  This one didn't win a ribbon at the 2021 State Fair, but it was popular at work and I thought it was really tasty! 

Ingredients: Cake

• 225g butter, softened 

• 225g caster/granulated white sugar

• 225g self-raising flour

• 4 eggs

• 2 Tbsp strong, cooled coffee/espresso

• ½ tsp vanilla

• ½ tsp coffee extract

• ½ tsp espresso powder

• 50g finely chopped walnut
  

Ingredients: Buttercream

• 145g unsalted butter, softened

• pinch of salt

• 500g powdered sugar

• 4 Tbsp strong, cooled coffee/espresso

• ½ tsp vanilla

• ½ tsp coffee extract
  

Optional:  8 to 12 walnut halves for decorating the top of the cake 

Instructions for Baking:

1. Grease or spray 2 round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper, grease, and dust with flour.

2.  Preheat the oven to 350F (180C)

3. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. 

4. Add one egg and thoroughly mix in.  Add ¼ of the flour and thoroughly mix.  Repeat, alternating, until remaining eggs and flour are combined in. 

5. In a cup, stir the espresso powder, vanilla, and coffee extract into the liquid coffee, then add to the batter. Add the chopped nuts. Stir well. 

6. Divide the cake mixture into the prepared pans and smooth tops.  .

7. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cake will be a golden brown color.

8. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely.  

 

Make the Buttercream and Assemble:

1. Cream butter, then mix the other ingredients in until it is smooth and creamy.  

2. Level cake layers if necessary

3. Assemble with frosting between layers and on top, and then decorate

• Traditionally, this cake has frosting between the layers and on top, but not on the sides.  It is usually decorated with a series of piped or spooned dollops of frosting with half-walnuts resting on them.

4. Serve with tea or coffee

Serves: 8 to 12