Coffee, Caramel, Walnut Cake with Caramel Filling and Coffee Mascarpone Icing

 I was asked recently to help out with a charity bake sale in aid of SANDS (still born and neonatal death charity) for a local hospital. As you know I love to bake and this was made even better by the fact that it was for a good cause. I decided to make two cakes, one being my famous Coffee, Caramel, Walnut Cake with a caramel filling and a coffee mascarpone icing. When I recreate a classic I love to out my own spin on it and with the addition of brown sugar in the cake recipe it gives it a lovely caramel flavour which is wonderful, add the caramel filling and the coffee mascarpone icing and this really is a truly wonderful cake that everyone will enjoy :))

Coffee Caramel Walnut Cake

175g unsalted butter, cubed and softened, plus extra to grease 

85g walnuts (toasted) plus 8 to go on top

175g soft muscovado sugar

3 eggs, beaten 

150g self-raising flour

½ tsp baking powder

50ml instant coffee

Icing

250g mascarpone

1 1/2 tsp instant coffee mixed with 1 tsp water

85g icing sugar 

Soft Caramel- either homemade or shop bought

Preheat the oven to 180C/170c Butter 2 round 20cm cake tins. In a food processor, blitz two-thirds of the toasted walnuts to powder. Cream the butter in a bowl with the sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs then add the blitzed walnuts and gently stir through. 

Fold the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt until just incorporated. 

Roughly chop the rest of the walnuts and stir through the cake mixture with the instant coffee. Evenly divide the mixture between the cake tins and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until lightly golden and cooked through when tested with a skewer. Cool the cakes in the tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack 

For the filling,  

For the icing, in a bowl mix the mascarpone with the icing sugar until smooth and add the instant coffee and mix through

Take one of the cakes and place on a plate. Spread over a layer of caramel sauce all over the top.

On the other cake turn upside down and spread half the coffee icing evenly over and place this on top of the other cake.

Using the remaining coffee icing, spread evenly over the top and finish off with the whole walnut pieces :)

Cardamom, Orange and Walnut Banana Bread

I love to try something new with an old classic and when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to give it a go and I wasnt disappointed...this is now our favourite version. The flavours in this banana bread are not over powering, just subtle so don't be put off :))

Cardamom, Orange and Walnut Banana Bread

120g butter

200g light muscovado sugar

6 cardamom pods , seeds lightly crushed

2 eggs

260g plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

120ml milk

3 ripe bananas , mashed

1 tsp vanilla extract

Zest of 1 orange 

60g walnuts , chopped

Pre Heat oven the to 180C/160C fan. Lightly butter a 900g loaf tin and dust with flour.

Beat the butter with the sugar until smooth, then beat in the orange zest and cardamom and vanilla extract. Mix in the eggs, one at a time. Sift in half the flour with the bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt, and beat again. Mix in the milk, then the remaining flour. Stir in the mashed banana, and walnuts.

Tip the mixture into the loaf tin and level the top. Pop into the oven and for about 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean and not sticky. 

Allow to cool and enjoy :))

 

 

 

Rosemary and Walnut Shortbread and Orange and Cardamom Shortbread

As promised here is another recipe I did today...

Rosemary and Walnut Shortbread

325g plain flour
200g salted butter
125g caster sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tsp rosemary , finely chopped
100g walnuts , chopped

Put the flour and butter in a food processor and whizz until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, egg yolks and rosemary and whizz to a dough. Tip onto a lightly floured work surface and knead in the walnuts. Shape into a log about 5cm across. Wrap in cling film and chill for an hour.
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160/gas 4. Slice the dough into biscuits and arrange on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes then cool.

To do the Orange and Cardamom, replace the rosemary and walnuts with the zest of one orange and 5 cardamom pod seeds crushed in a pestle and mortar.