This is the the ultimate coffee and walnut cake recipe. Indulging in a slice of cake is always a delightful experience, but when you combine the rich aroma of coffee with the nutty crunch of walnuts, you're in for a truly divine treat. Coffee and walnut cake is a timeless classic.
A good coffee and walnut cake is all about achieving the perfect balance of moisture and flavor. This cake is composed of a light, fluffy, almond sponge. That's been soaked in freshly brewed coffee to infuse it with a deep, rich essence that permeates every bite. The first layer of cake is topped with smooth creamy custard, sprinkled with finely chopped walnuts, which not only adds texture but also contribute a nutty undertone that elevates the overall taste experience.
The cake is then followed by a second layer of soaked coffee sponge. Which is topped with smooth, creamy ganache, to add another level of texture and flavour. The third layer follows the first, soft, airy almond sponge, soaked in coffee, topped with custard and chopped walnuts. And to top it all off with the final layer of soaked coffee sponge, it's smothered in chocolate custard - a combination of the custard and ganache layers. Garnished with a few chopped walnuts around the cake, for a simple yet elegant design.
This cake is the perfect centrepiece for any occasion, the many layers and elements to this cake, is sure to impress.
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- Ingredients
- Instructions - coffee and walnut cake recipe
- Substitutions
- Equipment For This Coffee and Walnut Cake Recipe
- Storage
- Top tip
- Baking Free From 101
- The coffee and walnut cake recipe
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Ingredients
- Almond Flour - You can also make this at home by blending whole/sliced almonds into a flour.
- Sugar - You can user granulated or caster sugar
- Vegetable Oil - Rapeseed or sunflower oil works best, I wouldn't recommend coconut or olive oil for this as it can overpower the flavour of the sponge
- Milk - I used plant based milk, to make this dairy free but you can use whole milk
- Eggs
- Walnuts - For texture and flavour
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions - coffee and walnut cake recipe
- Begin by separating 3 of the eggs into 2 separate bowls. In the egg white bowl, add the sugar and whisk using an electric hand whisk/stand mixer until stiff peaks and glossy.
- In the egg yolk bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, whole egg, oil, milk and flour until smooth.
- Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture gently, as we don't want to knock out the air we just incorperated.
- Pour the batter onto your prepared cake tin and bake for 15 minutes or until the sponge is lightly golden and springy to the touch.
5. As the cake cools, make the custard following the guide here. Then chop the walnuts into small chunks and set aside.
6. Make the ganache following the guide here. Then Brew the coffee for the soak, by adding boiling water to the coffee grounds, mix until dissolved and set aside.
7. Once the cake has cooled, using the bottom of you cake tin, cut the cake around the cake tin, you should be able to get 3 full circles and a 4th using cake scraps.
8. Then set up the mould using a 6"inch cake tin and acetate. To do this get a sheet of acetate cut it out to the circumference of your cake tin. [You can measure this by rolling the acetate around the tin until it reaches the other end, make sure both ends overlap slightly, then cut] Place the sheet of acetate around the inside of you cake tin and secure with celatope.
Assembling
9. Place one of the cake layers at the bottom of the cake tin, using an egg wash brush soak the cake lightly with the brewed coffee.
10. Spread on 4 spoonfuls of custard.
11. Then sprinkle with ½ the chopped walnuts.
12. Add the next layer of cake, soak with coffee.
13. Then add 4 spoonfuls of ganache.
14. For the next layer, use the cake scraps to make, a make shift cake layer, to fit the size of the tin, then soak in coffee.
15. Top with custard.
16. And sprinkle with the remaining walnuts.
17. Place the final cake layer on top and soak with coffee.
18. Then combine the remaining custard and ganache together to make a chocolate custard and spread this on top of the cake.
19. Decorate with a few more chopped walnuts around the side of the cake to create a border. Then place the cake in the freezer to set for at least 2 hrs.
20. Once set, push the cake out of the tin from the bottom, place on your serving plate.
21. Remove the acetate/clingfilm around the cake.
22. All that's left now is to slice and enjoy!
Substitutions
If you'd prefer not to make this cake dairy free, simply substitute the plant based milk for whole milk and the dairy free chocolate for ordinary chocolate.
Just to note also if you are making this cake gluten free like myself, please check the chocolate you are using when your making the ganache as not all chocolate is gluten free.
Equipment For This Coffee and Walnut Cake Recipe
To make this cake I used a loose bottom 6 inch cake tin and a sheet of acetate. It's important you have a loose bottom tin, so you can easily slide the cake out. If you don't have any acetate, which I understand, it's not the easiest thing to get your hands on. But if you carefully arrange a sheet of plastic wrap/clingfilm around your tin, it will work in the same way.
The reason we need the acetate/plastic wrap around the cake, is to ensure the cake and its fillings don't stick to the pan, so at the end where able to easily slide the cake out of the tin and remove the wrapping around the cake, to reveal the several, neat layers of cake.
If you still want to make this cake, but don't have a loose bottom tin or acetate/plastic wrap, you can always make it in a glass bowl, that way you can still see the neat cake layers and you can it out of the bowl like a pudding, which I think works just as well 🙂
Storage
This cake needs to be stored in the fridge, as will melt at room temperature.
It can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days and can also be stored in the freezer, in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
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The coffee and walnut cake recipe
Ingredients
- 150 g Almond Flour
- 50 g Sugar
- 40 g Plant Based Butter (melted)
- 4 Eggs
- 150 g Walnuts A few extra for the top
- 1 teaspoon Ground Coffee
- 80 ml Boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°/ 350°F Gas mark 4. Grease and line your baking tray with greaseproof/parchment paper
- Begin by separating 3 of the eggs into 2 separate bowls. In the egg white bowl, add the sugar and whisk using an electric hand whisk/stand mixer until stiff peaks and glossy.50 g Sugar, 4 Eggs
- In the egg yolk bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, whole egg, melted butter and flour until smooth.40 g Plant Based Butter, 150 g Almond Flour
- Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture gently, as we don't want to knock out the air we just incorperated.
- Pour the batter onto your prepared cake tin and bake for 15 minutes or until the sponge is lightly golden and springy to the touch.
- As the cake cools, make the custard following the guide here.
- Chop the walnuts into small chunks and set aside.150 g Walnuts
- Make the ganache following the guide here.
- Brew the coffee for the soak, by adding boiling water to the coffee grounds, mix until dissolved and set aside.1 teaspoon Ground Coffee, 80 ml Boiling water
- Once the cake has cooled, using the bottom of you cake tin, cut the cake around the cake tin, you should be able to get 3 full circles and a 4th using cake scraps.
- Then set up the mould using a 6"inch cake tin and acetate. To do this get a sheet of acetate cut it out to the circumference of your cake tin. [You can measure this by rolling the acetate around the tin until it reaches the other end, make sure both ends overlap slightly, then cut] Place the sheet of acetate around the inside of you cake tin and secure with celatope.
- Alternatively if you don't have any acetate you can also use cling film, to do this, again measure the length of clingfilm you need to fit around the cake tin, then carefully, push the cling film onto the sides of the tin and secure with tape.
Assembling
- Place one of the cake layers at the bottom of the cake tin, using an egg wash brush soak the cake lightly with the brewed coffee.
- Spread on 4 spoonfuls of custard and then sprinkle with ½ the chopped walnuts.
- Add the next layer of cake, soak with coffee and then add 4 spoonfuls of ganache.
- For the next layer, use the cake scraps to make, a make shift cake layer, to fit the size of the tin. Again soak in coffee, top with custard and sprinkle with the remaining walnuts.
- Place the final cake layer on top and soak with coffee.
- Then combine the remaining custard and ganache together to make a chocolate custard and spread this on top of the cake.
- Decorate with a few more chopped walnuts around the side of the cake to create a border. Then place the cake in the freezer to set for at least 2 hrs.
- Once set, push the cake out of the tin from the bottom, place on your serving plate and remove the acetate/cligfilm around the cake. All that's left now is to slice and enjoy!
Notes
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