A staple in any cafe; the Coffee & Walnut Cake is well-loved and rightly so. Of course, 9 times out of 10 the one in the coffee shop won’t be gluten free… so I’ve got you covered! I promise, you won’t be able to tell the difference!
There’s nothing quite so satisfying as a simple sponge cake and this one’s no different! This easy-to-make gluten free sponge is full of that classic creamy coffee and nutty walnut flavour. It’s basically a Victoria Sponge but with a couple of added extras – easy peasy!
You can also make this cake dairy-free if needed too. Simply switch out the butter for a dairy-free baking block or spread. Just make sure to use a hard dairy-free butter block for the buttercream- spreads and margarines will mean it is too soft!
(Of course, if you’re lucky enough to not require a gluten free diet, you can switch to using normal flour. It works just as well!)
I had a lot of fun piping the top of this cake! I played around with lots of different piping nozzles (which I will mention later if you wish to have a go yourself!). If piping isn’t your thing, you can simpy spread the buttercream on top – it will taste just as good regardless of how it’s decorated and that’s the main point!
This recipe makes a two layer 8″ cake that provides approximately 8-10 servings (depending on how big you cut the slices!) and will take up to 2 hours to make (including baking and cooling times)
Pro-tip for sponge making: make sure your ingredients are all at room temperature before you start!
Ingredients:
For the sponges:
- 250 g unsalted butter or baking spread, plus a bit extra for greasing the tins
- 250 g soft brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 200 g gluten-free self raising flour
- 50 g ground almonds
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend already contains it)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder (make sure this is gluten-free)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp instant coffee granules dissolved in 2 tbsp boiled water or 1 tbsp coffee extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 80 g walnuts, chopped
For the buttercream:
- 200 g unsalted butter
- 400 g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp instant coffee granules dissolved in 1 tbsp boiled water or 1 tbsp coffee extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Chopped walnuts and coffee beans to decorate
Useful Equipment: weighing scales, baking paper, two 8″ cake tins, mixing bowls, spatula, whisk/hand mixer/stand mixer, wire cooling rack, piping bag, piping tips, palette knife
Method:
Making the sponges:
- Preheat the oven to 175 °C fan/325 °F and grease two 8″ cake tins lining the base with baking paper.
- In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition.
- Sift in the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt and add the ground almonds. Fold gently until just combined.
- Add the coffee, vanilla and chopped walnuts and fold to mix.
- Divide the cake mix equally between the two cake tins and bake for 20-25 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool completely in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack.
Assembling the cake:
- To make the buttercream, beat the butter until smooth and gradually add the icing sugar until a smooth consistency is reached. If it’s too thick, you can add boiled water, milk or cream (1 tbsp at a time) until a smooth, creamy consistency is reached. Add the coffee and vanilla and mix well.
- If you fancy having a go at piping, place your buttercream into a piping bag with the round piping tip (I used Wilton 1A).
- Place one of the cake layers on a cake board or serving plate and pipe ‘blobs’ of buttercream, starting around the edge and then filling in the middle. If you don’t want to pipe, spread an even layer of buttercream on top (using about half of the prepared buttercream).
- Place your second cake layer on top. Again, if you don’t fancy piping, spread the remainder of the buttercream on top.
- If you would like to have a go at piping, I used tips 9FT, 1M, 2D, 21 and 29. The swirls are done using the 1M tip – start from the centre and swirl outwards! Have fun with it and get creative. It’s a great way to get to know what your piping tips can do!
- Finish your chosen design with some chopped walnuts and coffee beans. Make a cuppa and enjoy!
This cake will keep for 3-5 days in an airtight container. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months (best done cut into slices) – just wrap tightly in clingfilm and place in a freezer bag. Make sure to full defrost to room temperature before serving.
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