Mary Berry's Coffee and Walnut Cake, rich, decadent, with a silky coffee icing, and a moist, crunchy coffee sponge. One of my favourite desserts that makes an excellent choice for any party or celebration.
Another fabulous dessert by the queen of desserts, the one and only, Mary Berry. After the ever so popular Mary Berry's Moist Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe and Victoria Sandwich Cake, I fell in love with her simple, but awesome cakes that scream perfection.
I say simple because they are so easy to make, you really don't need any baking experience. But trust me, when it comes to taste, they are anything but simple. Pure heaven, that's more like it.
As much as I love to drink English tea, I love the taste of coffee in desserts. And its bitterness certainly balances well the sweetness of the icing.
Walnuts are absolutely fantastic in cakes, they taste great and add some nice crunch to the texture. It might sound complicated, but, trust me, it's one of the easiest cakes to bake. Let's see how to make a scrumptious coffee and walnut cake!
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Ingredients needed to make coffee and walnut cake
For the sponge
- butter - soften, unsalted butter works best
- sugar - I used granulated sugar, but caster sugar also ok
- self-raising flour - it helps the sponge rise nicely
- baking powder - still use it even if you add self-raising flour, as it helps with the fluffy texture
- eggs - at room temperature
- instant coffee - just add it as it is
- walnuts - chop the up for a more even sponge
For the coffee buttercream icing
- icing sugar - or confectioner's sugar, sifted
- butter - soften, unsalted works best
- instant coffee
- milk - full fat works best
Step-by-step photos and instructions
Depending on the size of your cake tin, you can either bake it as one cake, and cut it in half horizontally, or bake it in two batches or 2 separate cake tins of the same size.
If your cake tin is smaller, it's best to bake 2 separate cakes, otherwise the middle of the cake may not bake properly, while the edges turn brown if left to bake for too long.
For the sponge
- beat the soften butter with the sugar, add the eggs one by one, and beat well until you get a smooth paste
If you have a kitchen aid, that's great, otherwise a good old hand mixer will do. Just make sure the butter is soft, but not melted, so that it can be beaten well.
- add the flour, instant coffee, baking powder and chopped walnuts
- grease and flour 2 round baking tins (mine have a diameter of 20 cm, 8 inches)
- transfer the batter evenly between the cake tins, and level it with the back of a spoon or a spatula
- bake at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for about 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean
- leave to cool down completely, then spread half of the icing over the first sponge, top with the second sponge, spread the remaining buttercream, and decorate with walnut walnuts
For the icing
This coffee icing really is lush. It's smooth, silky, and tastes amazing. And it's just a matter of mixing all the ingredients together. A few points here:
- sift the icing sugar before adding it to the butter
As fine as the icing sugar is, sometimes it becomes lumpy in the packaging. And a lumpy icing sugar makes a lumpy icing. Not very nice, so always a good idea to sift it.
- either use a mixer or a kitchen aid to ensure a smooth icing
A spatula can't really beat the icing as well, and you are likely to have have butter bits left in the icing. The smoother, the better. Use half of the icing to spread over the first sponge, and the remaining one to top the cake.
Expert tips
Always use the ingredients at room temperature - cold ingredients will result in a cold batter, than it will take longer to rise in the oven, and its texture might not be the desired one.
Make sure the butter for both the sponge and icing is soft, rather than cold. The buttercream will split if the butter is not the right consistency.
Adding milk in the buttercream helps loosening it up a bit, for an easier spread, otherwise it will be too hard to spread nicely.
Recipe FAQs
Once the cake is assembled, it is best to leave to cake in a cool room. If it's too warm, the icing will be too soft. I once tried refrigerating the cake, but the texture changes, as the icing and sponge harden in the fridge, so not my first choice.
However, if you want to make the cake in advance, I would recommend baking the sponge first, that keeps well at room temperature for at least 3-4 days. You can then make the icing just before serving.
Using plain flour without any raising agents will result in a dense sponge that doesn't rise much. I always go for the combo self-raising flour + baking powder. Also, overmixing the sponge can also result in a dense sponge.
Other desserts from Mary Berry
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Mary Berry's Coffee and Walnut Cake
Equipment
- Mixer or Kitchen Aid
Ingredients
- 200 g self-raising flour
- 200 g unsalted butter, soften
- 4 eggs
- 200 g sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoon espresso coffee ( or any instant coffee, preferably fine rather than granules)
For the icing
- 400 g icing sugar
- 200 g unsalted butter, soften
- 2 teaspoon expresso coffee (or any other instant coffee, preferably fine rather than granules).
- 4 teaspoon milk
- walnut halves to decorate the top
Instructions
- Start by making the sponge.
- In a bowl, add the butter and sugar and cream until smooth.
- Add the eggs one by one, mixing well to incorporate.
- Add the sifted flour, instant coffee, baking powder and chopped walnuts, and mix well.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit).
- Grease and flour 2 round cake tins with detachable walls (mine have a diameter of 20 cm /8 inches).
- Pour the batter in, and level it with the back of a spoon or a spatula.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
- To make the icing, sift the icing sugar, add the soften butter, expresso coffee and milk to a food processor, and blitz until smooth.
- Spread half of the icing over the first sponge, top with the second sponge, and ice the top with the remaining buttercream.
- Decorate with walnut halves.
Video
Notes
- Click on the US Customary link to see the measurements displayed in cups and ounces.
- The servings can be adjusted by clicking the number next to Servings.
- Always use the ingredients at room temperature - cold ingredients will result in a cold batter, than it will take longer to rise in the oven, and its texture might not be the desired one.
- Make sure the butter for both the sponge and icing is soft, rather than cold. The buttercream will split if the butter is not the right consistency.
- Adding milk in the buttercream helps loosening it up a bit, for an easier spread, otherwise it will be too hard to spread nicely.
Nutrition
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Peter Miller
I have two comments, both grammatical errors.There is no such thing as EXPRESSO coffee, the word is ESPRESSO (it's also not clear if you mean coffee liquid or just the powder, the former I presume).
In item 9. the word is RACK not WRACK. The latter spelling is used in phrases such as "I wracked my brains but could not think of the correct spelling".
I have not yet tried the recipe but will be giving a go at the weekend.
Regards
Daniela Apostol
Thank you for pointing out the mistakes. Indeed, I meant cooling rack, I updated the recipe card. As for the coffee, I used instant coffee, it does not need to be liquid, just use the powder for both the sponge and buttercream. I hope that helps!
Lynne
Lovely always fool proof recipes from Mary. Thank you.
Ava
As a base recipe this was fine but I found it greatly benefited from a few tweaks. I made it a second time and doubled the amount of instant coffee, and also did 2 teaspoons of baking powder instead of 1. I also found the cake to be a bit dry so I added about 1/3 cup of milk to the mix at the very end. Turned out beautifully!
Jess
I made this and cooked to smaller cakes rather than a large one to cut in half. I cooked them at 180 for 20 mins and although the cake is delicious the sponge is a bit dry. Would you recommend I cook for less time or what can I do to make it more moist?
Daniela Apostol
Thank you for your comment! Yes, l would definitely bake them for less than 20 minutes, a smaller sponge would bake a lot faster than a larger one. Start by baking it for 15- max 17 minutes, and insert a skewer in the middle to check if it’s done.
Su
I only have granules or ground coffee. Can I use a liquid mix, and if so how much?
Daniela Apostol
I am afraid I have not tried with anything else, I don't think the liquid mix would work, as it would change the texture of the cake.
Antz
If the cake is sweet,can i use half the sugar?
Daniela Apostol
Hi! I wouldn't cut down the sugar so much, as this will affect the overall texture of the sponge.
Erica
Can I use gluten free flour in this?
Daniela Apostol
I am afraid I don't usually bake with gluten free, so I am unsure whether the consistency of the batter changes at all if you use gf flour.
Tracey
I made this and had to double the mixture. It is a very sweet cake. I don’t think I would put as much icing on it. Maybe fresh cream in the middle with just a lite dusting of icing sugar on top.
Iona Baily
Hi, can i douible the mix and make as a tray bake to feed more people?
Daniela Anderson
Absolutely, just double up the ingredients, and it should be ok.