Rich and fluffy coffee and walnut sponge cake draped in the silkiest, creamiest butteriest coffee frosting is the only cake you're ever going to need. This one is just like all those vintage ones you remember, but better. This is a classic coffee walnut cake for the modern age and it's so easy and quick to make you'll be reaching for the baking pans before you finish boiling the kettle. And of course, all ingredients are from Aldi. Because one-stop-shops leave more time for cake! ♥
Coffee walnut cakes used to be the perfect cake for a bridge night or church fete. And they still are, but this version is classic but perfect for our modern millennial souls! Basic ingredients and some quick tips listed below and you'll be slicing into your own cake in no time!
Classic Coffee and Walnut Cake
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Ingredients
- Self-raising flour- using self-raising helps to give this cake extra lift which brings the whole "fluffy" descriptor into full effect.
- Demerara sugar
- Eggs
- Walnut halves
- Baking powder
- Butter- salted or unsalted work perfectly fine here. I only keep one type of butter on hand, so always bake with salted.
- Instant coffee granules
For the Icing
- Icing sugar
- Butter
- Full-fat cream (soft) cheese- Yes! This cake gets layered in a coffee cream cheese frosting. -CHALLENGE ME! I DARE YOU!
Step by step
- Make the coffee for the sponge cake. For this part, we want to add as little water to the coffee as possible because we don't want to add too much liquid to the cake batter. So, yes. Your coffee will be thick.
- As with pretty much all sponge cakes, this one starts with creaming the butter and sugar together. That's why it's really important to start with all the ingredients, but especially the butter at room temperature. If you have a stand mixer, now is the time to use it, but if not an electric hand whisk will work just fine. Just be sure that your butter and sugar are really well creamed together. They should be very pale golden in colour and really soft, like mayo consistency.
- This is where you add the eggs and the coffee. This recipe isn't an overly delicate recipe, so the eggs don't need to be added one at a time the way some recipes call for. For this step, it's a good idea to add the eggs and mix. Then add the coffee and mix again. Your batter may look a little bit curdled (or split) but that's perfectly normal. Once the flour gets added it all comes together.
- Normally, I'm a pretty casual baker and don't require the flour to be sifted, but on this occasion, trust me, it's worth it. Not only does it sift together the baking powder and the flour, but it also brings a little extra height and softness to your cake.
- Line your baking tins with some parchment paper and butter the sides of the tin. Mix the chopped walnut into the batter and divide the batter between the tins and bake.
Making frosting
- Whip the butter and cream cheese together. Whip until any and all lumps are smooth and no longer there. Sift the icing sugar into the butter and cream cheese mixture. Mix on low until the sugar has been absorbed, then turn the mixer to high to add air into the frosting. Add in the coffee and whip again. The frosting should be like a light and fluffy whipped cream.
- Turn the cakes out and pick the nicer layer for your top layer. Invert the bottom layer so that you are smoothing frosting onto a flat surface rather than a domed layer. Spread a thick layer of frosting and using a palette knife or the back of a spoon, smooth the frosting. Remember, this cake is elegant and casual. No need for perfection here.
- Place the second layer on the top and spread more frosting. Once the second layer is frosted scatter the remaining chopped walnuts around the edge of the cake and serve!
How to tell when sponge cakes are baked perfectly
Sponge cakes are normally thought to be baked when a toothpick or skewer is inserted and comes out clean. However, using this method will ensure that your cake is dry and overdone. What you actually want is a skewer or toothpick that comes away from the cake with a few moist crumbs on it. The cake will also be gently pulling away from the sides of the tin. Like anything that comes out of an oven, the cakes will continue to cook slightly as they cool. So, if they are baked perfectly before they come out of the oven they will surely over bake while they cool. This recipe is very forgiving and will stay moist longer than most due to the 4 eggs rather than 3 and the extra moisture from the coffee.
Cake making tips
- Line all cake tins with baking paper on the bottom and grease the sides of the tin well with butter or baking spray. If the recipe states to flour the sides as well, then do that too.
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. This is because ingredients mix better together when they're all at room temp. They also have the ability to expand and aerate better, meaning more lift to your cakes and more softness to your frostings. ♥
- Preheat the oven!!! This should actually be number one, but we're just gonna leave it here. Preheating the oven is the first thing you should do when you walk into your kitchen to bake anything. It will ensure a quality bake every time.
- Read through the entire recipe at least once from beginning to end. That way you will spot any ingredients you may not have or any tips and tricks that you can use. And at the very least, you have an idea of all the steps involved from cracking the first egg, to getting the cakes in the oven.
Freezing & storing tips for sponge cake
Most sponge cakes and especially this coffee walnut cake can last at room temperature for about 3 days if kept in an airtight container. Sponge cakes can tend to go a little dry if stored in the fridge.
To freeze portions of the cake, simply cut into slices and wrap in cling film and freeze. You can freeze frosted or unfrosted portions of the cake. To defrost, simply place the slice or slices at room temperature. Keep the cake wrapped in plastic while it defrosts so that any condensation will stay on the plastic wrap and not the cake, giving you a soggy coffee walnut cake.
Essential equipment
Baking equipment can be as simple or complex as we make it. We're all about simple here and we're going with 4 items that will make your life so much easier when you bake.
- When baking, good quality tins will be a lifesaver. Not only are they lovely to use, but your baking results will be something you're proud of. Always invest in good quality tins.
- A palette knife is worth its weight in gold. They make frosting cakes a dream and are an all-around useful kitchen tool.
- Kitchen scales are essential when baking. Required for accuracy and speed.
- Electric hand whisk. They can get so much more air into your sponges and so much more softness to frostings than can ever be achieved by hand mixing alone. A stand mixer is a "nice to have", but often excessive for most people. A good quality hand whisk is what you're looking for.
Useful links
More easy baking recipes on Savvy Bites!
Tools used to make this coffee walnut cake
And that concludes our latest instalment of cake chat! So, whatever reason you find to make this coffee and walnut cake, *(you never need a reason) imagine it as a love letter to your life. Enjoy every last rich, fluffy coffee-infused crumb!
Recipe
Coffee And Walnut Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- For the sponge
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water
- 100 g walnuts chopped
- 200 g butter at room temperature
- 200 g demerara sugar
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 200 g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons milk
- For the frosting
- 200 g butter room temperature
- 200 g cream cheese room temperature
- 400 g icing sugar sifted
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee dissolved in 1 teaspoon boiling water
- To serve
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Line the bottom of two 22cm round cake tins with parchment paper and grease the sides lightly with butter.
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric whisk, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. The butter should be soft and a light golden colour.
- Add in the eggs and whip together. Make sure that the eggs are fully incorporated, then add in the cooled coffee. Whisk one more time. The mixture may look curdled, but it will come back together once you add the flour.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into the egg and butter mixture. Add in the chopped walnuts and milk. Being careful not to over mix, make sure that the flour is fully combined.
- Divide the batter between the two lined cake tins and bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when gently pressed and a toothpick or skewers comes out with a few moist crumbs. About 18 minutes.
- Once the cakes are baked, allow them to cool in the tins on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely.
- To make the frosting
- Whip the butter and cream cheese together until very light and fluffy. Sift in the icing sugar and whip again. See notes. Slowly pour in the cooled coffee and whip until silky smooth and creamy.
- Frost the bottom layer of cake. Place the second sponge on top and frost that. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts around the edge of the cake and serve.
Notes
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. This is because ingredients mix better together when they're all at room temp. They also have the ability to expand and aerate better, meaning more lift to your cakes and more softness to your frostings. ♥
- For the frosting- when you add the icing sugar be sure to start the mixer on low so that you don’t end up with sugar everywhere.
Nutrition
THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND COOKING ALONG WITH ME! IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE OR HAVE A QUESTION, I’D LOVE IT IF YOU LEFT A COMMENT AND A RATING. YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ALONG ON PINTEREST, FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM TO SEE WHAT WE’RE EATING, PINNING AND A LITTLE BEHIND THE SCENES TOO!
Sam
Hello,
I just wanted to check as in one of the pictures you have walnuts added to the mix but there isn’t any instruction to add? Also milk is included in the ingredients for the cake but again it’s not included in the actual instructions?
I haven’t included the walnuts so fear I may have made a coffee cake with walnut topping ?
I will let you know how it turns out
Deborah Thompson
Hi Sam!! So sorry. Thanks for spotting that. I've updated the recipe and it will work with or without the milk. Let me know how it goes!
Jen
Hi, is the oven temperature for conventional or fan forced? Thanks!
Deborah Thompson
Hi Jen. It's for a fan oven.
MummiesFoodMissions
Hi, I've made this cake but the icing seems to have split. Any reason why, and how can I bring it back together?
Deborah Thompson
To bring it back together you can add in a bit more icing sugar and a tablespoon of boiling water and mix it with an electric whisk on low. To avoid the icing splitting make sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature. Before adding the icing sugar in, mix the cream cheese and the butter until they are soft and fluffy, then add in the icing sugar. Let me know how you get on.
N Patel
Hiya I want to back this but you do not give measurements of walnuts in cake? Please advise. Thank you
Deborah Thompson
It's 100g of chopped walnuts and they get added to the sponge in step 4 of the instructions. Happy baking!
Priyanka
Can I replace self raising flour by using all purpose flour?
Deborah Thompson
Hi Priyanka. You would need to make your own self-raising, which is super easy. Just add 2 teaspoons of baking powder to every 150g flour that you need. So for this recipe, you would add 2 1/4 teaspoons self-raising flour to the 200g flour required. You will also need to add in the baking powder that the recipe calls for. Let me know how it goes and if you have any other questions, just let me know.