Coffee Walnut Layer Cake

By Nigella Lawson

Updated Aug. 2, 2024

Coffee Walnut Layer Cake
Craig Lee for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(1,922)
Comments
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This is a subtle cake: the coffee tempers the sweetness, and the buttery sweetness keeps it all mellow. Even if you don't make cakes, this one is a cinch. Don't be alarmed if the two sponge layers look thin when you unmold them. They are meant to be, because the cake gains a lot of height with its frosting. This cake is all about old-fashioned, homespun charm, so don't worry about how messy it looks: however the frosting goes on is fine. If you want to fully cover the sides of the cake, make a double batch of the frosting.

Featured in: AT MY TABLE; A Different Feast: It's Time for Tea

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

    For the Cake

    • Butter for pans
    • ½cup (60 grams) walnut pieces
    • 1cup plus 2 tablespoons (245 grams) sugar
    • 2sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
    • 1⅔cups (230 grams) flour
    • 1tablespoon (14 grams) baking powder
    • ½teaspoon salt
    • 4large eggs
    • 2tablespoons milk at room temperature, more as needed
    • 1tablespoon (3 grams) instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water

    For the Frosting

    • 2½cups (300 grams) confectioners' sugar
    • ⅛teaspoon salt
    • 1½sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
    • 1tablespoon (3 grams) instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water
    • ¼cup walnut halves, for decoration
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

741 calories; 43 grams fat; 23 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 86 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 76 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 302 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch cake pans, and line base of each with parchment paper. In food processor, combine ½ cup walnut pieces and sugar. Process to a fine powder. Add butter, flour, baking powder, salt and eggs. Process to a smooth batter.

  2. Step 2

    Add 2 tablespoons milk to coffee mixture and pour this down feed tube with motor running. Mixture should be just soft enough to drop from a spoon; if not, add more milk. Divide cake batter between two pans. Bake until risen and springy to touch, about 25 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on rack. Remove parchment paper. Cool completely. You may want to level them if they domed in the oven.

  3. Step 3

    For frosting: Place confectioners' sugar and salt in food processor and pulse until lump-free. Add butter and process until smooth. Add coffee mixture down feed tube and pulse until well blended.

  4. Step 4

    Place one cake upside down on a plate or cake stand. Spread with about half the frosting. Place second cake right side up on frosting, and cover top and sides in a swirly pattern. Place a walnut half in center of cake, and gently press remaining halves into top of cake, around the edge.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,922 user ratings
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Comments

Edward in Paris

I had to alter this for a nine inch pan. I wanted to share it in case others have the same issue:

walnuts 75.9 grams
sugar 310.1 grams
butter 10.1 ounces
flour 291.1 grams
baking powder 17.7 grams
salt 0.6 tsp
eggs 5.1
milk 2.5 tbl
coffee 3.8 grams

frosting (double)
confectioners sugar 600 grams
Salt 0.25 tsp
butter 12 ounces
coffee 6 grams
walnuts (decoration

oven 350 Fahrenheit
175 Celcius

JK

I want to make this cake today but have a question. In both instances where you use instant coffee dissolved in boiling water, do you add the coffee mixture while still hot? Thanks!

DMR

I made 1.5 batches of icing, which was just enough; two batches would provide a stress-reducing buffer. I used espresso (35 ml of brewed from 20 grams in each case) for both the cake and the frosting. I worried the extra liquid would be bad for the icing, but it wasn't; might try 70 ml for the double icing batch to get more coffee flavor and reduce stiffness slightly. Prevented doming as I always do by pinning a (clean) wet sock around pan sides during baking. Worked great.

carolyn

My cake pans have an aluminum interior measurement of 8.75” and worked just fine. I made a cup of espresso and used two tablespoons of that each for cake and frosting—delicious! I love frosting but found it enough to frost just the middle and the top, especially since the cake itself is quite buttery. I used my old trusty food processor but other than grinding the nuts, any mixing tools would work and, in fact, it might be nice to have the nuts chopped instead of so finely ground. Adaptable!

Megan H.

This wasn’t my favorite. It smelled great, and every step of the process tasted great, but the cake itself was dry. It wasn’t horrible, it just tasted old and dry. The frosting helped a lot. I made 1.5x the frosting, and I added a tablespoon of malted milk powder to give it more depth. I might make the frosting again, but I will pass on the cake.

jo

Delicious! My food processor was too small so I switched to a handheld mixer after grinding the nuts and sugar down. Also substituted hazelnuts for walnuts cause that's what I had and then added a hefty spoon of hazelnut butter to the frosting which made the entire cake taste like a Kinder Bueno Coffee break. Would use more coffee next time and a touch more salt.

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