Walnut and Coffee Cake

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This is a 'healthier' version of my favourite cake! By this I mean that it uses oil instead of butter! I love the combination of coffee and walnuts, and this loaf cake is cut into three layers, which are filled with a cream mixture, and then the top is iced and decorated with walnuts. 

Preheat oven 190C/gas5 and grease and line a 900g loaf tin.

In a large bowl put 225g light muscovado sugar, 225g sr flour and1/2tpsn salt and mix together. Add 225ml vegetable oil [I used rapeseed], 4 egg yolks, 50ml strong espresso coffee and 50ml milk; beat in until well mixed and smooth.
Beat the egg whites till stiff and fold into the batter, half at a time.
Stir in 75g of chopped walnuts. Pour the mixture into the tin and tap to level it. Bake for about 50 mins till well risen. leave to cool in the tin for about 10 mins then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

In a bowl pour 300ml of double cream;  add 1 tspn of strong coffee powder and 1 tbspn of caster sugar and beat well till stiff.
Cut the cooled loaf cake into 3 and sandwich each layer with some of the cream filling.

Sieve 100g icing sugar into a bowl and add 1 tbspn of strong espresso coffee and mix together. Spread over the top of the loaf with a palette knife and decorate with some walnut halves.




The cake has a lovely coffee flavour, and a soft texture. There's a good contrast between the soft cake, the crunchy walnuts, the creamy filling and the soft coffee icing. I think using the oil has given the cake a nicer texture, and I prefer just the coffee icing to a butter cream one, which would make the cake too sickly sweet for me.


Comments

Suelle said…
I love coffee and walnut cake, and I think it's a great idea not to use buttercream in it!
18/7/15 12:44 pm
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