Coffee Walnut Cake

My weekly bake for Pat.


This recipe is taken from BBC Good Food Magazine.

Ingredients:
200 gm butter, softened
200 gm caster sugar
4 eggs, beaten
200 gm self raising flour
50 gm chopped walnuts
1 tbsp coffee essence
For the filling:
200 gm icing sugar
85 gm butter, softened
2 tsp coffee essence
1 tsp single cream
For the icing:
300 gm icing sugar
1 tsp coffee essence
9 walnut halves

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C/Gas or 160 deg C/fn. Grease 2 deep 20cm sandwich cake tins. Line the base of each with greaseproof paper.
2. Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and cream together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs a bit at a time, sprnkling in a bit of the flour to stop the mixture curdling. Sift and fold in the remaining flour, then fold in the walnuts. Mix the coffee essence with 1 teaspoon water and fold this in, then divide the mixture equally between the prepared cake tins and level the tops. Bake for 20-25 mins or until the cakes spring back when lightly spraed in the centre with your finger. Leave the cakes in the tins for 5 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave until cold.
3. Make the filling. Put all the ingrediens into a bowl and beat with an elecric mixer until smooth and fluffy, then use to sandwich the two cakes together.
4. Make the icing. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, then mix in the coffee essence and 2-3 tbsps cold water to make a smooth icing. Pour the icing onto the top of the cake and quickly spread it over the top and sides, then arrange 8 walnut halves around the outside and one in the middle. Leave the icing to set before serving.