Coffee cake

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4. Line the base and sides of the tin with greaseproof or silicone paper. Brush the bottom and sides with melted butter and dust lightly with flour.

2. Beat the soft butter with a wooden spoon, add the caster sugar and beat until pale in colour and light in texture. Whisk the eggs. Add to the mixture, bit by bit, whisking well between each addition.

3. Sieve the flour with the baking powder and stir gently into the cake mixture. Finally, add in the coffee essence and mix thoroughly.

4. Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes. When the cake is cooked, the centre will be firm and springy and the edges will have shrunk from the sides of the tins. Leave to rest in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Remove the greaseproof paper from the base, then flip over so the top of the cake doesn’t get marked by the wire rack. Leave the cake to cool on the wire rack.

5. To make the coffee buttercream, whisk the butter with the sieved icing sugar and add the coffee essence. Continue to whisk until light and fluffy.

6. When cold, cut the cake in half. Sandwich the layer together with half of the coffee buttercream. Spread the sides and top of the cake thinly with the last of the buttercream and place into the fridge for 10-15 minutes to chill. This technique is called crumb coating.

7. Next, make the coffee glacé icing. Sieve the icing sugar and put into a bowl. Add coffee essence and enough boiling water to make it the consistency of a thick cream.

8. To dcorate, remove the cake from the fridge. Pour the glace icing evenly over the top of the cake, gently spreading it down the sides with a palette knife. Allow to set, about 30 minutes. Decorate with piped rosettes of buttercream and garnish with the caramelised walnuts.