Coffee and walnut cake

I always thought that where France is good with cake shops, we in England cannot be beaten when it comes to puddings and cakes; cakes in particular are a specialty of British cakes, and with the start of the new Great British Bake Off season this week, I suspect there will be many home bakers making their way into the kitchen, to filter flour and beat some eggs!

We are a nation of cake lovers. . . The family's old favorites are the omnipresent Victorian sandwich, lemon pie, Madeira cake, chocolate and coffee cake, and nut cake, which are my personal favorites. There is something very 'ancient tea room' about beautiful coffee and walnut cookies, it gives a signal to all cake and coffee lovers with its creamy appearance, and it is the mainstay of the afternoon tea table.

I remember a beautiful old tea room in Yorkshire, close to where I used to live - they always have at least four homemade cakes offered, where a grand coffee and walnut cake will sit between fresh orange cakes, chocolate cakes and always farmhouse fruit cake or Dundee cake. Even though I'm always tempted by fresh orange cake, it's always a piece of coffee and walnut cookies that make my way to my table with a pot of tea or a cup of coffee!

Today's recipe for coffee and walnut cookies is based on my mother's recipe that she usually makes for Sunday tea, but I have increased the number to make a large cake that will serve twelve people easily (12 slices). Don't forget to use the best quality instant coffee that you can put in, because it will make a difference in taste.

INGREDIENTS
CAKE

• 225g unsalted butter, mashed
• 225 g of caster sugar
• 4 free-range eggs, large and beaten
• 1 tablespoon of instant coffee, mixed with 1 tablespoon of boiling water
• 225g of self-sufficient flour
• 75g chopped walnuts

BUTTERCREAM SUGAR LAYER

• 175g of butter, mashed
• 300g of icing sugar
• 3 tablespoons of instant coffee granules, mixed with 1 tablespoon of boiling water into a paste
• 50 g chopped walnuts
• 12 parts walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to reach 180 C / gas 4. Grease and row sandwich sandwich sandwich 2 x 8 inches (20 cm) with baking paper
2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and smooth - I use a hand-held shaker for this
3. Add beaten eggs, little by little, with one tablespoon of flour to stop it from clumping, and shake well between each addition of egg and flour
4. Add the remaining flour along with coffee and walnuts and stir well
5. Divide the cake mixture between two sandwich cans and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until it rises well and dark golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 2 minutes before turning the cake over to the wire rack
6. While the cake is cold, make coffee buttercream. Beat the butter with the icing sugar until it is pale and fluffy, then add the coffee and chopped walnuts. Stir again and allow to harden in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes
7. When the cake is really cold, tuck it in with half of the coffee buttercream. Spread the remaining buttercream on the cake and garnish with walnuts

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