Classic Coffee and Walnut Cake

Coffee and walnut cake on stand with slice on plate alongside.

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Classic Coffee and Walnut Cake

Coffee and walnut cake is a much-loved British classic. This version features two light wholemeal sponges flavoured with coffee and ground walnuts, sandwiched together with smooth coffee buttercream. A final flourish of toasted walnuts and more buttercream on top completes the look. Perfect for afternoon tea, a special occasion or a crowd-pleasing bake sale treat.

Prep Time25

Cook Time20

Course: Afternoon Tea

Cuisine: British

Keyword: buttercream, cake, coffee, layer cake, walnuts

Servings: slices

Calories: 399kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Ingredients

Sponge

110 g unsalted butter (4oz) cubed and softened
110 g soft brown sugar (4oz) I used light brown muscovado
3 tbsp golden syrup
3 large eggs
60 g walnuts (2oz) ground
2 tsp coffee beans (optional) finely ground
200 g wholemeal spelt flour (7oz)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 pinch fine sea or rock salt
110 ml kefir, buttermilk, sour milk or watered down yoghurt (4 fl oz)
2 tbsp strong black coffee

Filling and Topping

140 g unsalted butter (5oz) softened
225 g icing sugar (8oz)
3 tbsp strong black coffee
12 walnut halves toasted

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Sponge

Line two 23cm round cake tins or lightly grease the same sized silicone cake moulds. Preheat your oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4).
In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter cubes with the sugar and golden syrup until light in colour and fluffy in texture. You can use a stand mixer or electric beaters if you prefer.
110 g unsalted butter, 110 g soft brown sugar, 3 tbsp golden syrup
Beat in the eggs, one by one until they're well mixed.
3 large eggs
Stir in the ground walnuts and ground coffee, if using.
60 g walnuts, 2 tsp coffee beans
Sift in the dry ingredients and stir to mix. Chuck any bran left in the sieve into the mix too.
200 g wholemeal spelt flour, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt
Finally, stir in the kefir and coffee. Mix until it all comes together, but don't go mad. The less stirring, the lighter the sponge.
110 ml kefir, buttermilk, sour milk or watered down yoghurt, 2 tbsp strong black coffee
Divide the mix between the prepared tins and level the tops.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the sponges are well risen and the tops are firm to the touch.
Leave in the tins for ten minutes to cool and shrink away from the sides a little, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Filling and Topping

Whilst the sponges are cooling, place the butter in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Sift in the icing sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. I do this by hand with a wooden spoon. You can do this in a stand mixer or with electric beaters, but you'll need to add the icing sugar bit by bit or it will fly all over the kitchen.
140 g unsalted butter, 225 g icing sugar
Beat in the coffee.
3 tbsp strong black coffee
Once the sponges are cool, place one onto a serving plate, top side down. Spread it with 4/5 of the buttercream as evenly as possible, then place the remaining sponge on top of the filling, top side up.
Stick the toasted walnuts around the edge of the cake, using a generous dollop of the remaining buttercream to do so.
12 walnut halves

Notes

You can make this cake in two 20 cm cake tins instead for a taller cake, but you'll need to bake the sponges for an additional 5-10 minutes.

If you'd prefer to ice the top completely, make the buttercream with an additional 60g (2oz) butter, 100g (3 ½ oz) icing sugar and a further tablespoon or two of coffee.

You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.

Nutrition