Coffee and Walnut Sponge

with Coffee Butter-cream filling


This coffee sponge is so light, one slice might not be enough. Which probably explains why it was polished off in one sitting, not just by me, I hasten to add.

Ingredients

175g self-raising flour
175g golden caster sugar
175g soft margarine
3 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1tbsp instant coffee, add 2tbsp hot water to dissolve and leave to cool
150g walnuts, lightly toasted in a hot pan

Pre-heat the oven to 190C / 375F / gas 5

In a large bowl, sift the flour and baking powder, add the rest of the sponge ingredients and beat with a hand-held electric mixer, until light and fluffy.

Line the base of 2 x 20cm sponge cake tins with baking parchment and divide the mixture between them.

Bake in the middle shelf of the oven for 15-20 minutes until springy to the touch.

Remove from the oven and leave in the tins for 5 minutes.  Turn out and cool on a wire rack.

Coffee butter-cream filling

175g softened butter
1 dessert spoon instant coffee, dissolved in just a little hot water
200g icing sugar

Beat the butter and gradually add the icing sugar a bit at a time, beat in the coffee liquid.
Taste the icing, if it is still very buttery add more icing sugar.

Spread 2/3 of the filling over 1 half of the sponge and sprinkle on the chopped walnuts evenly.

Place the other half of the sponge on top and spread (or pipe) the remainder of the butter cream on top decorate with pieces of walnut.