Coffee and Walnut Loaf
Treat yourself to a slice of nostalgia with this Classic Coffee and Walnut Loaf! This easy-to-follow recipe results in a beautifully moist and fluffy coffee sponge, enriched with brown sugar and yogurt for the perfect tender texture. Packed with crunchy walnuts and topped with a silky coffee buttercream, it’s the ultimate British teatime treat.
Ingredients
For the coffee walnut cake
- 110 g (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 200 g (1 cup) brown sugar
- 215 g (1¼ cups + 1 tbsp) plain (all purpose) flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 125 g (½ cup) yogurt (I use Greek yogurt)
- 1 tbsp coffee granules dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water
- 100 g (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) walnuts, broken into chunks
For the coffee frosting
- 150 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 320 g (2 cups + 3 tbsp) icing (powdered) sugar
- 1.5 tbsp coffee granules dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water
- 0.5 tsp vanilla
Instructions
For the coffee walnut cake
- Line the loaf tin with a loaf liner or parchment paper and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F whilst making the cake batter.
- 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.
- Separately, in a jug, tip in the yogurt, eggs and coffee. Mix well until smooth and completely combined.
- 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.
- Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin, then bake in the preheated oven for 55-60 minutes until springy to touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove to a cooling rack and cool completely.
For the coffee frosting
- 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!
- Add in half the icing sugar and mix in until completely combined. Tip in the coffee mixture 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.
- 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.
- Once the loaf is cool, spread the coffee buttercream over the top of the loaf, using an offset spatula or knife to create any patterns you wish on top. Finish decorating by sprinkling on some additional walnuts and whole coffee beans, if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Calories: 484kcal