Coffee and Walnut Sandwich
Norma
wrote to me last week to say how delighted she was to find the recipe for Chantilly
Cake which was a favourite in her family but which she had lost in a house
move. She said the ‘cake turned out just like old times -
delicious!’ She now
was on
the hunt for a Coffee and Walnut cake, also
lost, so I’m posting this recipe from Grandma’s baking book.
Meryl’s
tip : If
you use coffee granules, make sure you grind them first to a powder, for
example, in a pestle and mortar.
Coffee and Walnut Sandwich
4oz /110g sugar
6oz/175g self raising flour
4oz/110g butter
3 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 dessertspoonful coffee extract or powder
Preheat the oven to 350F, Mark 4, 180C. Cream the
butter and sugar, add the coffee essence or powder. Mix well. Add the flour and
eggs alternately. Lastly, add the baking powder. Divide into 2 x 8 inch (20
cms) sandwich tins and bake in a moderate oven for approximately 30
minutes.
Filling
Cream 3oz/75g butter and 5oz/150g icing sugar.
Add a little milk, beat well and then mix in 1 teaspoonful of coffee extract/powder.
Spread half of one cake and place the other cake on top. Or reduce the amount of the mixture by half and decorate with glace icing flavoured with coffee extract or powder. Decorate the top with
the remaining butter icing and the walnuts.
Meryl
says : This is a delectable coffee cake which is easy to bake. I’ve not found out
why we put walnuts on coffee cake but they do give it an elegant touch. One of my
favourite reviews of Grandma’s
recipe book came from Ana Cecilia, a fashion blogger who rates Grandma’s book as 'her personal cooking bible’.
She’s posted a mean Coffee Cake picture too from my favourite city, Paris.
Do you know why we decorate Coffee Cake with walnuts?