Coffee and Walnut Cake

The perfect coffee-time cake...

From Cakes & Bakes from my Mother's Kitchen


Ingredients:
180g unsalted butter, at room temperature
180g caster sugar
3 eggs
180g self-raising flour
60g walnuts, chopped
2 tsp coffee essence

for coffee frosting: 
250g mascarpone cheese
85g confectioner's sugar
2 tsp coffee essence
walnut halves, to decorate

Method: 
Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F. 


Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Sift the flour into the butter mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the walnuts and coffee.


Divide the cake mixture between two greased and base-lined cake tins (20cm in diameter), and level the surfaces.


Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the lining paper and leave to cool completely.


For the frosting, beat the mascarpone, sifted confectioner's sugar and coffee together until smooth and creamy. Spread less than half of the frosting onto one of the cakes, then place the second cake on top. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and decorate with walnut halves to finish.


Eat the same day, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within a couple days. 


Enjoy!!