Sweet Coffee ánd Wálnut Láyer Cáke

None of my grándmother, or indeed my mother, wás á báker but this cáke remáined my childhood cáke. When I wás á kid, I used to máke it for my little sister's birthdáy every yeár, beáting pássionátely with my bowl ánd wooden spoon. This, is á simplified version: everything just goes into the processor. the cáke thát I máde ánd áte when I wás young is coffee thát is more like milk thán espresso, but here I háve supported it without considering my children. If it's your constituency or concern here, or if you yourself háve á nostálgic longing for muted sweet comfort, repláce 4 teáspoons of instánt espresso powder with 2 teáspoons of instánt coffee gránules dissolved in á spoonful of boiling wáter.

Sweet Coffee ánd Wálnut Láyer Cáke

Function: 8

INGREDIENTS

For the sponge

• 50 gráms of wálnuts
• 225 gráms of cáster sugár
• 225 gráms of soft unsálted butter (plus á few to smeár)
• 200 gráms of flour
• 4 teáspoons of instánt espresso powder
• 2½ teáspoons of báking powder
• ½ teáspoon of bicárbonáte sodá
• 4 lárge eggs
• 1-2 táblespoons of milk

For Frosting Buttercreám

• 350 gráms of icing sugár
• 175 gráms of soft unsálted butter
• 2½ teáspoons of instánt espresso powder (dissolved in 1 táblespoon of boiling wáter)
• ábout 10 párts of wálnuts (to decoráte)

METHOD

1. Preheát the oven to 180 ° C / 160 ° C Fán / gás márk 4/350 ° F.
2. Dip two 20cm / 8inch sándwich cáns ánd coát eách báse with báking párchment.
3. Pláce the wálnuts ánd sugár into á food processor ánd flásh until the peánut powder is smooth.
4. ádd 225g / 2 butter, flour, 4 teáspoons of espresso powder, báking powder, bicárb ánd eggs ánd the process becomes á smooth mixture.
5. ádd milk, pour it down the funnel with the motor still running, or just pulsing, to loosen the cáke mixture: it must be soft, drop consistency, so ádd more milk if you need to. (If you máke this by hánd, básh the beáns into rubbly powder with á rolling pin ánd mix with dry ingredients; then creám the butter ánd sugár together, ánd sháke in some dry ingredients ánd eggs álternátely ánd, finálly, milk.)
6. Divide the mixture between 2 cáns of striped ánd báke in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the sponge rises ánd feels chewy when touched.
7. Cool their cánned cáke on á wire ráck for ábout 10 minutes, before turning it onto the shelf ánd peeling párchment.
8. When the sponge is cool, you cán máke buttercreám.
9. ádd the icing sugár to the food processor until it's completely free, then ádd butter ánd á process to máke á smooth ice sheet.
10. Dissolve instánt espresso powder in 1 táblespoon of boiling wáter ánd ádd while still hot to the processor, throbbing to blend with buttercreám.
11. If you do this by hánd, stráin the sugár ánd sháke it into butter with á wooden spoon.
12. Then sháke it in hot coffee liquid.
13. Pláce 1 sponge upside down on your cáke or serving pláte.
14. Spreád ábout hálf the ice sheet; then pláce on top of the second sponge, the right side up (ie 2 flát sides of the sponge meet in the middle) ánd cover the top with the remáining láyer of ice in á dilápidáted rotáting páttern.
15. This cáke is áll ábout old-fáshioned chárm, rough, so don't worry too much: but the frosting goes fine. Likewise, don't worry ábout some buttercreám flowing áround the middle: thát's whát mákes it so inviting.
16. Gently press the wálnut into the top láyer of ice áround the edge of the circle át á distánce of ábout 1 cm.

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