Coffee and Walnut Cake

Ingredients

• 250g pack softened butter, plus extra for the tins
• 100ml strong black coffee (made with 2 tbsp coffee granules), cooled
• 280g self-raising flour
• 250g golden caster sugar
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 85g walnut, 2 tbsp roughly chopped, the rest finely chopped
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• 140g mascarpone
• 100g quark
• 140g fondant icing sugar

Method

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Oil and bottom-line a 20cm round (6cm deep) loose-bottom tin.

For the cake:

• Mix the coffee with 2 tsp warm water and set aside.
• Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl.
• Stir in the baking powder, ground almonds, both sugars (use fingers to rub out any lumps from the muscovado) and walnuts, then make a dip in the centre.
• Put the eggs, yogurt, oil and coffee mix into the dip and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon so everything is evenly mixed.
• Spoon the mixture into the tin, smooth the top to level it, then bake for 40-45 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool in the tin briefly, then turn it out and peel off the lining paper.
• Leave to cool completely while you make the filling and icing.

Make the syrup for the filling:

• Put the caster sugar and coffee into a small, heavy-based saucepan, then pour in 3 tbsp water.
• Heat gently, stirring to help the sugar dissolve.
• Once dissolved, raise the heat, then boil at a fast rolling boil for about 2½-3 mins until thickened and syrupy.
• Pour into a small heatproof bowl and set aside to cool.
• When cold it should be the consistency of treacle.

For the filling and icing:

• Beat the mascarpone, quark, icing sugar and vanilla together until smooth, then stir in the cold coffee syrup. Set aside.
• For the icing, sift the fondant icing sugar into a bowl.
• Mix the coffee with 1 tbsp warm water, stir this into the fondant icing sugar with about 1 more tsp water to give a smooth, thick but spreadable icing.
• Split the cake into 3, then sandwich back together with the filling.
• Spread the icing over the top, scatter over the chopped walnuts and leave to set.

Store in the fridge.