Ingredients:
- 175 g butter (at room temperature) , plus extra for greasing
- 75 g walnuts , plus extra to garnish
- 175 g sugar
- 3 large free-range eggs
- 150 g self-raising flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 50 ml cold espresso
Coffee Filling
- 65 g unsalted butter
- 125 g icing sugar
- 40 ml strong espresso
Coffee Icing
- 100 g icing sugar
- 20 ml strong espresso
Procedure
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4. Grease and line the bases of 2 round 20cm cake tins.
- In a food processor, blend two-thirds of the nuts to powder. Cream the butter in a bowl with the sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs then add the blended walnuts and gently stir through.
- Fold the flour, baking powder and a pinch of sea salt through with a large metal spoon until just mixed
- Roughly chop the rest of the walnuts and stir through the cake mixture along with the espresso.
- Evenly divide the mixture between the cake tins and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden and cooked through when tested with a skewer.
- Cool the cakes in the tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- For the filling, soften butter in a bowl. Sift in the icing sugar, beat until fluffy, then beat in the coffee.
- For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and beat in the coffee to make a thick, smooth icing.
- Place one of the cakes on a plate or board and spread with the coffee filling. Top with the second cake and drizzle over the icing.
- Decorate the cake with the remaining walnuts