Weirdly, very nice with a cup of tea
Ingredients
400g butter
175g golden caster sugar
120g chopped walnuts
3 large eggs
175g self-raising flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp instant coffee granules
400g icing sugar
You will also need two 21cm loose-bottomed sponge tins, lined with greaseproof paper, and an oven preheated to 180°C/gas mark 4.
Beat half the butter and all the caster sugar into a light, fluffy mixture. Crack the eggs into a bowl, beat them briefly with a fork and add slowly to the butter and sugar, mixing as you go.
Mix the flour and baking powder thoroughly and gently mix into the butter and sugar. Dissolve two tablespoons of the instant coffee in a tiny bit of boiling water, then stir into the mixture with half the walnuts.
Pour the mixture into the two cake tins, smooth the tops, and then bake for 25 minutes, or a little less if your oven is on the hot side.
For the tasty icing, beat the other half of the butter till it’s soft, then add the icing sugar and carry on beating until you attain a smooth and creamy consistency. Mix the remaining coffee into a tablespoon of boiling water, and then combine this with the mixture. Finally, fold in the remaining walnut pieces.
Once the cake is cooled, spread about a third of the mixture on one half, then place the second half on top. Use the rest of the mixture to spread over the top and around the sides of the cake.
