Coffee, Cardamom & Walnut Cake

Weekend Treat [02]

As a fashion buyer I used to travel pretty much every month, and as a result I got to know the designers I worked with very well. On trips I could never talk to one designer until she had her cup of coffee, before then her face was a closed book that wouldn’t even raise a smile. Once the coffee cup was in her hand she’d magically come to life. I have always wanted to like coffee; for something that is that restorative must be worth drinking. Yet, no matter how much sugar I put into the drink it still tastes bitter to me. So I’m resigned to leave my coffee intake to cake alone.

This recipe featured in BBC Good Food’s August issue, and I thought I’d share it with you because it is a slightly unusual version of the traditional coffee and walnut cake, that is incredibly scrummy. Cardamom, a spice normally reserved for curries, mixed with the coffee and walnuts it gives it an exotic flavour. In the original they suggest you cut the cake in half and put icing in the middle, but I can’t be doing with anything remotely difficult, so below is my simplified version. I have halved the amount of icing, which I still found was more than enough. As always, please let me know if you try the recipe and whether you liked it.

Coffee, Cardamom & Walnut Cake

For the Cake Batter

• 330g icing sugar
• 120g ground almonds
• 130g self-raising flour
• 80g roasted walnuts, plus extra 50g to decorate
• 1 tsp ground coffee
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• 3 whole eggs
• 150g egg whites (approx. 4 eggs)
• 140g burnt butter, warm (see end of post)

For the Syrup

• 2tbsp clear honey
• 50g golden caster sugar
• 1 double espresso or 60ml strong coffee

For the Coffee Cream Icing

• 60g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 70g icing sugar
• 200g full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 15g date molasses or maple syrup
• 1 tsp ground coffee

1. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Butter a 23cm square cake tin and line with baking parchment.
2. To make the cake, stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl with a pinch of salt, then add the eggs and egg whites, and mix well until smooth. Pour in the warm burnt butter and stir carefully until fully combined. Transfer to the prepared tin and allow to sit for 10 mins to rest the batter a little, then bake for about 30-35 mins until the cake is set.
3. While the cake is baking, bring the syrup ingredients to the boil with 60ml water in a pan, then remove from the heat. Once the cake comes out of the oven, brush it generously with the syrup. Cool the cake in its tin, and then chill (still in its tin) in the fridge for at least 1hr (and up to 24hrs).
4. To make the icing, put the butter and icing sugar into a mixer with a paddle attachment and cream together on a high-speed until really light and fluffy. Mix in the cream cheese, a little at a time, allowing each addition to combine and aerate before adding the next. Finally mix in the date molasses and coffee. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to check the icing is well combined, with no lumps.
5. Spread the icing over the top of the cake in little waves and decorate with walnuts, if you like. You will need to keep this cake in the fridge. It will be good for 2-3 days, but make sure to bring it back up to room temperature before eating for best result.

How to make burnt butter (or beurre noisette)

Heat butter in a saucepan until it’s gently foaming and turns a dark golden colour. It will develop a lovely nutty flavour.

EAT!