You won't be disappointed with our deliciously moist coffee and walnut sponge! Adorned with a sweet buttercream and chopped walnuts, it's the perfect teatime treat.
Preparation Notes: Plus cooling
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- 250 g unsalted butter, softened
- 250 g caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 Tbsp. strong espresso (at room temperature)
- 250 g plain flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 75 g walnut halves, roughly chopped
For the icing
- 200 g unsalted butter, very soft
- 300 g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp. vanilla essence
- 3 Tbsp. strong espresso (at room temperature)
- About 150g walnut halves
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Lightly grease a round 20.5cm (8in) loose-bottom or springform tin and line with baking parchment.
- Step 2
Put butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat using a handheld electric whisk until pale and fluffy, about 3min. Gradually add eggs, beating well after each addition (if the mixture looks as if it's curdling, mix in a few tablespoons of the flour). Whisk in the espresso.
- Step 3
Sift over flour and baking powder, fold in with a large metal spoon, then fold in walnut pieces. Spoon mixture into prepared tin, level and bake for 45min or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in tin for 5min, before removing from tin and cooling completely on a wire rack.
- Step 4
Cut cooled cake in half horizontally. For the icing, put butter, icing sugar, vanilla and coffee into a large bowl. Beat with a handheld electric whisk until soft and smooth. Use some of the icing to sandwich cake together, then spread remainder over top and sides of cake. Transfer to a cake stand or plate.
- Step 5
Set aside 8 walnut halves, and finely chop the rest. Press chopped walnuts around sides of cake and top with walnut halves. Serve in slices.
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To store
Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 694
- Fibre: 2 g
- Total carbs: 62 g
- Sugars: 47 g
- Total fat: 46 g
- Saturated fat: 21 g
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
