Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoon instant coffee powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons warm milk
- 170g butter, softened
- 170g caster sugar
- 60g walnuts, chopped
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- 170g self-raising flour sieved
- 3 eggs, separated
- For the coffee buttercream
- 2 ½ teaspoons instant coffee powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons warm milk
- 170g butter, softened
- 225g icing sugar
- 2 tsp brandy
- Handful of walnuts, for decoration
Directions
- Preheat the oven to fan 160°C / fan 325°F / gas mark 4.
- Grease and line a 900g / 2lb loaf tin.
- Dissolve the coffee powder in the warm milk and set aside to cool.
- Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the walnuts and mix.
- Gradually mix in the flour and salt into the walnut butter mixture.
- Add the cooled coffee milk and egg yolks, then gently fold to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold gently into the batter.
- Pour the cake mix into the prepared loaf tin.
- Bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To assemble the cake, use a serrated knife to split the cake horizontally so you have two layers.
- Fill the middle of the cake with half of the buttercream (below). Put the other cake layer back on top, then use the remaining buttercream to cover the rest of the cake.
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Decorate with the walnuts.
To make the buttercream
1. Dissolve the coffee in the warm milk and set aside to cool.
2. Beat the butter and icing sugar in an electric mixer until white in colour.
3. Add the coffee milk and brandy to the creamed butter and sugar, beating well to combine.
4. It should be light and fluffy.
Recipe taken from My Wild Atlantic Kitchen, Recipes and Recollections by Maura O’Connell Foley
