Easy Coffee and Walnut Cake

This easy Coffee and Walnut Cake is a coffee lover's dream! It has four layers of coffee-flavored sponge frosted with coffee buttercream and crushed walnuts. Serve it during birthdays, teatime, or as dessert.

If you are a cake lover, then you must try this recipe. This cake has sophisticated flavors and is a nice change from the usual sweet cakes like vanilla sponges and chocolate cake. It is crunchy on the outside, thanks to the crushed walnuts, the buttercream adds sweetness, and the coffee cake delivers deep flavor.

For another coffee-inspired cake, try my Tiramisu Cake, and if you like nuts, you'll enjoy my Carrot Cake with Walnuts, Moist Date Cake, and Vegan Pecan Pie.

Why This Recipe Works

• This cake is filled with rich coffee flavor. The coffee-flavored sponges work perfectly with the coffee buttercream and walnuts to create a delight in every bite.
• This is an impressive bakery-style coffee cake.
• This cake can be served as afternoon tea or made for birthdays!
• You can decorate it however you like.
• This easy coffee and walnut cake can also be made in a loaf tin.

Coffee and Walnut Cake Ingredients

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

• Unsalted butter: Use room-temperature unsalted butter.
• Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds a sweet, nutty caramel flavor to this cake. You can use white sugar instead, but I prefer brown sugar.
• Eggs: Use room-temperature eggs for this recipe.
• Self-raising flour: Make sure you sift self-raising flour before mixing.
• Baking powder: Baking powder should also be sifted before mixing.
• Instant coffee: Use any instant coffee for this recipe.
• Milk: Make sure milk is at room temperature.

Coffee Buttercream

• Unsalted butter: Must be at room temperature.
• Icing sugar: Sieve icing sugar.
• Instant coffee: Use any instant coffee.
• Hot water: It is used to dissolve the coffee.
• Walnuts: Use fresh walnuts for this recipe.

Tips and Substitutions

• Room temperature: Before mixing, ensure the unsalted butter, eggs, and milk are at room temperature. This ensures that the ingredients mix properly.
• Dry ingredients: Sieve dry ingredients before baking to make sure the ingredients mix evenly.
• Mixing: After adding the dry ingredients, mix the cake batter with a large spoon. This will make the cake fluffy and prevent over-mixing.
• Cakes: Make sure the cake is thoroughly cooled before decorating it. If it is not cool, the buttercream will melt when you apply it. You may also enjoy this easy banana cake with crumble.
• Frosting: I chose coffee, buttercream, and walnuts because the flavors go well together. However, if you prefer less cream, don't cover the whole cake; add buttercream between each cake layer instead. You can also frost the cake with Best White Chocolate Buttercream, Easy Chocolate Buttercream with Cocoa Powder, or Easy Milk Chocolate Ganache.

How to Make Coffee and Walnut Cake

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 160C fan/180C/325F/Gas 3. Then, lightly grease two non-stick, 7-inch cake tins and set aside for later. Add unsalted butter to a large glass bowl.

Step 2: Add brown sugar to the bowl.

Step 3: Then, whisk the butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes.

Step 4: Meanwhile, add self-raising flour, baking powder and instant coffee to a separate bowl and stir until combined.

Step 5: Add one egg to the butter and sugar mixture and whisk until combined. Repeat this step with the remaining eggs.

Step 6: Then, add half of the flour mixture to the butter mix.

Step 7: Pour milk into the bowl and whisk or fold until just incorporated.

Step 8: Add the remaining flour and whisk until combined.

Decorate

Step 11: Add one layer of coffee cake to a cake board. Then, add a layer of coffee buttercream.

Step 12: Frost the entire cake with coffee and buttercream, then add crushed walnuts onto the cake.

Step 15: Serve this delightful walnut coffee cake as dessert! You may also enjoy this coffee and hazelnut cake, Carrot Cheesecake Cake and this Pina Colada Cake.

Recipe FAQs

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