Walnut and coffee cake

Remember me? If you're wondering where I've been, I've been working, molding young minds, giving palliative care to my car, hanging out in the waiting rooms of Toronto General's cardiac unit. You know -- the usual.

Somewhere in there I had a birthday. I made this cake from a Jaime Oliver recipe to mark the occasion. I had high expectations, but it wasn't as moist as I wanted it to be. It does have a nice coffee flavour though, if that's your thing.

Back soon with more seasonal recipes.

The best coffee and walnut cake
From Jamie Magazine

175g unsalted butter, cubed and softened, plus extra to grease
• 75g walnuts, plus a few extra to go on top
• 175g sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 150g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 50ml cold espresso

Coffee filling
• 65g butter, cubed and softened
• 125g icing sugar
• 40ml strong espresso

Coffee icing
• 100g icing sugar
• 20ml strong espresso

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Grease and line the bases of 2 round 20cm cake tins. In a food processor, blitz two-thirds of the nuts to powder. Cream the butter in a bowl with the sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs then add the blitzed walnuts and gently stir through.
2. Fold the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt through with a large metal spoon until just incorporated.
3. Roughly chop the rest of the walnuts and stir through the cake mixture along with the espresso. Evenly divide the mixture between the cake tins and bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes, until lightly golden and cooked through when tested with a skewer. Cool the cakes in the tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. For the filling, put the butter in a bowl. Sift in the icing sugar, beat until fluffy, then beat in the coffee.
5. For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and beat in the coffee to make a thick, smooth icing.
6. Place one of the cakes on a plate or board and spread with the coffee filling. Top with the second cake and drizzle over the icing. Decorate the cake with the remaining walnuts as they are, or lightly caramelised. To do this, melt sugar over a medium heat, without stirring, then carefully toss the nuts in briefly to coat. Cool the nuts on a wire rack before using.