Coffee and Walnut Cake

Ingredients

• 225g unsalted butter
• 225g golden caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs, beaten
• 3 tbsp Douwe Egberts Pure Gold granules dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water
• 225g self raising flour, sifted with 1 tsp baking powder
• 75g shelled walnut halves, chopped plus 8-10 walnut halves for decoration
• For the coffee icing:
• 200g icing sugar, sifted
• 200g unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp coffee Douwe Egberts Pure Gold dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water
• A little Demerara sugar, to decorate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/ Gas 4. Grease and base line 2 x 20cm sandwich tins with parchment.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk or wooden spoon until pale in colour, light and fluffy in texture. Slowly add the beaten egg beating well after each addition. If it curdles add 1-3 tbsp of the measured out flour.
3. Fold in the remaining flour along with the dissolved coffee. Carefully fold in the nuts then divide the mixture between the two prepared times. Tap the cakes gently on the work surface to remove any air bubbles.
4. Bake the cake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until well risen and golden brown. Leave in the tins to cool a little before transferring to a cooling tray. Once cold remove the parchment paper.
5. Meanwhile, make the filling by creaming the butter, coffee and icing sugar together in a bowl until soft. Place one cake onto a serving plate upside down. With a palette knife spread half the icing over it and put on the remaining top. Paddle the icing over the top and decorate with the walnut halves. Sprinkle on the Demerara sugar to give a sparkly effect.