Name: Coffee and Walnut Traybake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Ingredients: 165 g (¾ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 300 g (1 ½ cups + 1 tbsp) brown sugar; 325 g (2 ¼ cups + 1 tbsp) plain (all purpose) flour; 1.5 tsp baking powder; 0.75 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda); 0.75 tsp salt; 190 g (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) yogurt (I used Greek yogurt); 3 large eggs; 2 tbsp instant coffee granules; 135 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) walnuts, roughly broken; 150 g (½ cup + 3 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 320 g (2 ¼ cups + 2 tbsp) icing (powdered) sugar; 1.5 tbsp instant coffee granules; 1 tsp vanilla; walnuts, to decorate; coffee beans, to decorate

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My coffee and walnut traybake has a light and fluffy coffee cake with plenty of chopped walnuts throughout. It is topped in a delicious coffee buttercream and finished with more walnuts and coffee beans for decoration. A coffee cake lover’s true slice of heaven!

My coffee and walnut traybake is an incredibly moreish bake, with a light and fluffy coffee sponge cake dotted with walnuts throughout, topped with a silky coffee buttercream and decorated with more walnuts and coffee beans. Perfect for feeding a crowd! Recipe by movers and bakers

Why you will love this coffee and walnut cake tray bake

Perfect results every time. I have tried and tested this recipe so many times, to make sure it delivers perfect results each and every time. Whether you are a new baker or a seasoned pro, I can guarantee you wonderfully fluffy cake and plenty of flavour in this traybake recipe!
Readily available ingredients. All the tools and ingredients you require to make this cake are likely at home or easily found in your local grocery store.
Easy to make and decorate. Make the cake the day before serving, and once cool simply decorate with my delicious coffee buttercream roughed up for texture and a sprinkling of walnuts and coffee beans to finish. Simple and effective!
Beautiful rich and balanced coffee flavour. With plenty of coffee in the cake and the coffee frosting, this lighter-than-air coffee cake tray bake is sure to delight anyone who tried a piece!

What ingredients do I need to make this coffee walnut traybake?

Butter: I use unsalted butter, so I can control the amount of salt in the cake tray bake.
Brown sugar: I love the light caramel notes brown sugar brings to this bake.
Flour: I use plain/all purpose flour to make the cake. I prefer adding raising agents separately, as I do with salt, so I can control the rise of each of my bakes.
Baking powder/bicarbonate of soda: the raising agents used in this moist coffee tray bake.
Salt: enhances the flavour of the bake, but it will not be so much that you taste it, I promise!
Eggs: gives structure and stability to the cake as it bakes.
Yogurt: part of the wet ingredients used for the cake. Keeps it light, moist and tender.
Instant coffee powder: one half of the flavour profile of this delicious cake.
Walnuts: essential for making this irresistible coffee and walnut cake.
Icing/powdered sugar: used to make the buttercream. Dissolves more easily than caster or granulated sugar, so ensuring the buttercream is not grainy.
Vanilla: for delicious flavour in the best coffee walnut traybake recipe ever!

What equipment do I need to make a tray bake?

Tray bake tin:* you can use a roasting tin too, but I like the sharper corners offered by a tray bake tin.
Parchment paper: to line the tin.
Digital kitchen scales*: I provide all my measurements in cups too, however I would encourage all bakers to weigh out ingredients using weighing scales when baking. A set of digital kitchen scales is so useful and totally an essential baking tool for me.
Measuring spoons*: a set of measuring spoons is essential for any baker. This is because these are more accurate than using everyday teaspoons and tablespoons, which can vary greatly in size.
Stand mixer*/electric hand mixer*: I would highly recommend investing in a good electric mixer, whether stand mixer or hand held electric mixer, to help with your baking. This recipe can, of course, be done entirely by hand, but your bicep will get quite the workout for it! Having these tools makes it much easier, not to mention quicker, to do any baking.
Jug*: to mix the wet ingredients in before adding to the dry in this easy tray bake.
Sieve*: to remove any lumps from the dry ingredients.
Spatula*: ensures you get every last bit of that heavenly coffee tray bake cake mixture into the tin to bake! Plus useful to spoon out and spread the icing over the top of the cake once baked too.

How to make coffee walnut traybake cake

This cake is actually really quite easy to bring together, there are just a few steps along the way. First, we need to make the cake itself, then the buttercream before bringing it all together into a beautiful cake!

Ingredients required: unsalted butter, brown sugar, plain (all purpose) flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), salt, eggs, yogurt, instant coffee granules, walnuts, icing sugar and vanilla. Recipe by movers and bakers

For the coffee walnut cake

Step 1: Line the tin with parchment paper and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F whilst making the cake batter.

Step 2: In a large bowl or a stand mixer, beat the butter until softened. Add in the sugar and beat until paler and fluffy. Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and beat again until the mixture resembles damp sand.

Mixing together the wet and dry ingredients together...

... before adding in the walnuts and folding in. Recipe by movers and bakers

Step 3: Separately, in a jug, tip in the yogurt, eggs and coffee. Mix well until smooth and completely combined.

Step 4: Pour half the wet mixture into the flour mixture and mix on low to combine. Add in the remaining wet mixture, scrape the bowl down and mix once more to completely combine. Scrap the bowl down once more and beat on high for about 30 seconds until the batter is really light and silky. Finally, tip in the broken chunks of walnuts and fold into the cake batter.

Step 5: Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin, then bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until springy to touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.

Spooning and levelling the mixture into the tin before baking. Recipe by movers and bakers

For the coffee frosting

Step 1: To make the buttercream, first beat the butter for 4-5 minutes until really soft, spreadable and paler in colour. This is really important as it gives you a really light buttercream that is soft and fluffy. Do not skip this step!

Step 2: Add in half the icing sugar and mix in until completely combined. Tip in the coffee and vanilla and mix to combine in smoothly, scraping down the bowl as needed. Now add in the remaining sugar and slowly mix it in. Scrape the bowl down again, then beat, on high, for about 30 seconds for the final fluffing of the coffee buttercream.

Step 3: Using a spatula, mix and press the buttercream around the mixing bowl for about a minute or so. This smooths out the buttercream, pushing out air bubbles, resulting in a really silky buttercream to work with for the final step.

Step 4: Once the cake is cool, spread the coffee buttercream over the top of it, using an offset spatula or knife to create any patterns you wish as decoration. Finish decorating by sprinkling on some additional walnuts and whole coffee beans, if desired. Enjoy!

How do I know when my coffee cake is baked?

You can tell when the cake is baked as it will be well risen and domed in the middle. You can also use a toothpick or wooden skewer, poked into the middle of the cake: you should have nothing come out sticking to this if the cake is baked.

How to decorate a coffee walnut cake

You can decorate the cake by simply spreading the frosting over the cake and sprinkling on the additional decoration as I did. If you wish too, you could always pipe the buttercream on instead using a star nozzle for a stunning finished result.

How long will a coffee and walnut cake last?

This coffee and walnut traybake cake should be stored in an airtight container and will be fine kept at room temperature for 2-3 days.

How do you store a coffee and walnut cake?

Store the coffee walnut cake in an airtight container. It does not need to be kept in the refrigerator, just place the container in a cool spot away from direct sunlight.

Can you freeze coffee and walnut traybake?

Absolutely! Most cakes will freeze well for up to three months.

How to freeze this coffee walnut traybake

I would recommend freezing this cake without the buttercream and decoration on top. Once baked, leave the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once it is cool, wrap it tightly with two layers of cling film (plastic wrap), leaving the parchment the cake was baked in around the cake. Then wrap snugly in a layer of foil and freeze.

How to thaw the cake

This cake will thaw fairly quickly. Depending on the temperature of the room, it can normally be completely thawed in a couple of hours at most. To thaw the coffee walnut tray bake, remove the foil and both layers of cling film and place on a cooling rack, brushing off any ice crystals as you do. Once the cake has thawed, remove the lining paper and decorate according to the rest of the recipe. Store in an airtight container as before.

Additional tips for making this coffee and walnut loaf cake recipe

Preparation is key! Get all ingredients and tools ready, including lining the tin and turning the oven on before you start mixing.
Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. This small step helps ensure all the ingredients blend together much more smoothly, resulting in a better bake.
If you are a die hard coffee fan, feel free to add more coffee granules to the cake and to the buttercream if you wish. Go easy though, perhaps start with ½ tbsp more coffee in the cake and ½ tbsp more in the buttercream before deciding you want it even stronger!
Remember to beat the butter plenty when making buttercream. Trust me, this step is totally worth the extra few minutes spent for the best buttercream you will ever make!
Ensure the cake is completely cool before decorating with buttercream, otherwise you could end up with a melted liquid mess for buttercream and soggy cake. No one wants that!
I would definitely add extra walnuts to the top of the iced cake. The coffee beans are a totally optional extra, I just love how they look on the cake!

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this coffee and walnut tray bake, please comment below and I will do my best to help. And do remember: if you enjoy this coffee walnut traybake, please leave a rating and review below. You could even post a picture on Instagram and tag me when you share it with the world. You already know I would love to see!

More recipes from my blog for you to enjoy

Coffee walnut cookies: Calling all coffee fans! These coffee walnut cookies are especially for you! Beautiful chewy coffee infused cookies packed with wonderfully earthy walnuts. If you are a fan of the British classic coffee and walnut cake, this cookie will be right up your street!

Coffee and walnut cupcakes: Delicious, soft, light and fluffy cupcakes, packed with coffee flavour and with chunks of walnuts all the way through. They are topped with the most amazing smooth coffee buttercream, then crowned with a walnut and a couple of coffee beans. Coffee heaven!

Victoria sponge cake: This British classic has to be a staple in every baker’s library! Two delicious vanilla flavoured sponge cakes are filled with softly whipped cream and jam and a simple dusting of icing sugar to finish. The Victoria sponge cake has to be one of the most simple but elegant cakes out there, making it a British classic loved the world over. Perfect for afternoon tea or any celebration!

Thanks for joining me today, my friends. Hope you enjoy this beautiful coffee walnut traybake recipe as much as my family does, and happy baking! x

Recommended equipment I used *

Tray bake tin	Digital kitchen scales
Measuring spoons	Stand mixer
Electric hand mixer	Jug
Sieve	Spatula

* If you purchase any of the products through one of the links above, I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you so much for your support!