Something Sweet

One of my favourite sweet treats is Coffee and Walnut cake, once a week at work I would have it as an afternoon treat. However I no longer work for that company so I don't get my something sweet on a Wednesday afternoon anymore. So yesterday I attempted to make the cake and surprisingly it turned out well. Below is the recipe I used to make the cake.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 225g/8oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 225g/8oz caster sugar
• 4 free-range eggs
• 50ml/1¾fl oz strong espresso coffee
• 225g/8oz self-raising flour
• 75g/2½oz walnuts (crushed)

For the butter cream topping:

• 125g/4½oz unsalted butter
• 200g/7oz icing sugar
• 50ml/2fl oz strong espresso coffee

     12 walnut halves, to decorate

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until very light and pale.
3. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and then slowly add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture making sure that each time you add a small amount of the eggs that you thoroughly stir it in to the other mixture.
4. Add the espresso to the mixture and stir well.
5. Add the flour a little bit at a time, again making sure it is thoroughly mixed in before you add the next lot of flour. At the same time add the crushed walnuts.
6. Spoon the cake mixture into two lined and greased 20cm/8in cake tins. Or use silicon tins because I find that these work best and then it means you don't have to grease and line it.
7. Cover the two halves with tin foil and transfer to the oven to bake for 25minutes and then remove the foil and bake for a further 5 minutes.
8. Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
9. For the butter cream topping, beat the butter and icing sugar together in a small bowl until pale and light.
10. Add the espresso and mix well. I also used a little bit of vanilla in the butter cream as well.
11. Spread the butter cream over the top of each cake, then place one cake on top of the other.
12. Decorate the top of the cake with the walnut halves and serve in generous slices.

B.