11 January 2011

Week 52 - Coffee & Walnut Cake

Hello cake mates, it's with a tinge of sadness that I'm bringing you the final treat from Rebecca Bakes Cakes. The past 52 weeks have gone really quickly & I'm honestly dead chuffed that I've done it! It was this time last year that I made a batch of Spiced Apple Muffins & had the crazy idea to bake something every week for a year & blog about it. Reading back over those early posts it's funny to see how my writing has changed & as it turns out I've enjoyed the writing just as much as the baking! My biggest triumph was probably the Malteser Cookies that became finalists in the My Dish chocolate lovers competition. Biggest disaster, the Crumpets in week 44, you can relive the whole debacle with video commentary.

But enough reminiscing...lets stick to the matter in hand & get onto the cake. As you know I do have a day job working in the marketing department for Douwe Egberts coffee, therefore it seemed fitting to finish on a classic coffee & walnut cake. In a final shameless plug for one of our products, it was made with Pure Indulgence instant coffee!

For the cake
250g butter
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
2tsps vanilla essence
250g self raising flour
2tbps instant coffee dissolved in 25ml warm water
80g walnut pieces

For the frosting
100g butter, softened
400g icing sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
1tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 10ml water

To decorate (optional)
Walnut halves
Chocolate coffee beans
Chocolate sprinkles

1. Cream the butter & sugar together until light & fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one, next add the vanilla. Sift in the flour & fold together until you have a lovely smooth batter. Finally stir in the coffee & walnuts until all combined.

2. Line the bottom & grease the sides of 2 cake pans. Divide the mixture between the pans, bake in the oven at 180c/GM4 for around 25 minutes until they are well risen, golden & springy to the touch. Lift out & leave to cool in the pans.

3. To make the frosting cream together the butter & sugar, then add the vanilla & coffee. Beat well until you have a silky smooth texture. I had quite a subtle coffee flavour in my icing, you could easily increase the amount you use if you like a stronger taste or cut it out completely for a vanilla frosting?

4. Next level off one of the cakes & spread a thick layer of the frosting on the top. Place the second cake on top of that & cover it with the remaining frosting. Decorate at will!

So there we go, all done! Thank you to everyone for reading over the last 52 weeks & for all your lovely comments & emails. I have a feeling this won't be the last you see of me, I think I've been bitten by the blogging bug & will be back. But for now, that's all from Rebecca Bakes Cakes, it's been a blast. Take care, Rebecca x

p.s. I've put together a round up of all my creations. Click here to see it...

10 comments:

  1. Well done you for completing what you set out to do! I have only recently found 'blogging' but I have been looking at some of the archives and am very impressed with your delights. I used to bake cakes for a coffee shop I worked in (a long time ago) and one of the regular favourites with the punters was the coffee and walnut cake. I unfortunately did not take the recipes with me when I left and have never found one quite the same since. I'll give your recipe ago at some point and see what it turns out like.
    Alison x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bravo! Loved the blog, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. and what a way to finish with a coffee themed cake!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a brilliant cake to finish on. Well done on completing what you set out to do and in such an amazing way.

    I'm full of admiration....and I must ask....what's the next challenge going to be, or are you going to hang up your pinny?

    Sue xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. One of my faves, looks great! I seem to be coming in at the end of your baking year, hope you keep going.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for all your comments, they're very much appreciated!

    Not sure what I'm going to do next? Seeing as I've invested in my kitchen aid, I guess I should keep baking!

    x

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congratulations! A challenge well completed. I shall really miss sampling the cakes, can't say the same about my waistline though.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well I certainly love to eat cakes so this blog and I are a perfect match. I'm excited!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hang on.... last cake post? On the day I found your blog? I'm normally lucky! Noooooo!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am a cake lover too. Congratulations on your completion! So what you will be baking/cooking next? BTW I made this cake too. Glad to follow you.

    ReplyDelete

11 January 2011

Week 52 - Coffee & Walnut Cake

Hello cake mates, it's with a tinge of sadness that I'm bringing you the final treat from Rebecca Bakes Cakes. The past 52 weeks have gone really quickly & I'm honestly dead chuffed that I've done it! It was this time last year that I made a batch of Spiced Apple Muffins & had the crazy idea to bake something every week for a year & blog about it. Reading back over those early posts it's funny to see how my writing has changed & as it turns out I've enjoyed the writing just as much as the baking! My biggest triumph was probably the Malteser Cookies that became finalists in the My Dish chocolate lovers competition. Biggest disaster, the Crumpets in week 44, you can relive the whole debacle with video commentary.

But enough reminiscing...lets stick to the matter in hand & get onto the cake. As you know I do have a day job working in the marketing department for Douwe Egberts coffee, therefore it seemed fitting to finish on a classic coffee & walnut cake. In a final shameless plug for one of our products, it was made with Pure Indulgence instant coffee!

For the cake
250g butter
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
2tsps vanilla essence
250g self raising flour
2tbps instant coffee dissolved in 25ml warm water
80g walnut pieces

For the frosting
100g butter, softened
400g icing sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
1tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 10ml water

To decorate (optional)
Walnut halves
Chocolate coffee beans
Chocolate sprinkles

1. Cream the butter & sugar together until light & fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one, next add the vanilla. Sift in the flour & fold together until you have a lovely smooth batter. Finally stir in the coffee & walnuts until all combined.

2. Line the bottom & grease the sides of 2 cake pans. Divide the mixture between the pans, bake in the oven at 180c/GM4 for around 25 minutes until they are well risen, golden & springy to the touch. Lift out & leave to cool in the pans.

3. To make the frosting cream together the butter & sugar, then add the vanilla & coffee. Beat well until you have a silky smooth texture. I had quite a subtle coffee flavour in my icing, you could easily increase the amount you use if you like a stronger taste or cut it out completely for a vanilla frosting?

4. Next level off one of the cakes & spread a thick layer of the frosting on the top. Place the second cake on top of that & cover it with the remaining frosting. Decorate at will!

So there we go, all done! Thank you to everyone for reading over the last 52 weeks & for all your lovely comments & emails. I have a feeling this won't be the last you see of me, I think I've been bitten by the blogging bug & will be back. But for now, that's all from Rebecca Bakes Cakes, it's been a blast. Take care, Rebecca x

p.s. I've put together a round up of all my creations. Click here to see it...

10 comments:

Alison said...

Well done you for completing what you set out to do! I have only recently found 'blogging' but I have been looking at some of the archives and am very impressed with your delights. I used to bake cakes for a coffee shop I worked in (a long time ago) and one of the regular favourites with the punters was the coffee and walnut cake. I unfortunately did not take the recipes with me when I left and have never found one quite the same since. I'll give your recipe ago at some point and see what it turns out like.
Alison x

shaz said...

Bravo! Loved the blog, thanks!

Anonymous said...

and what a way to finish with a coffee themed cake!

Sue said...

What a brilliant cake to finish on. Well done on completing what you set out to do and in such an amazing way.

I'm full of admiration....and I must ask....what's the next challenge going to be, or are you going to hang up your pinny?

Sue xx

Janice said...

One of my faves, looks great! I seem to be coming in at the end of your baking year, hope you keep going.

Rebecca said...

Thank you for all your comments, they're very much appreciated!

Not sure what I'm going to do next? Seeing as I've invested in my kitchen aid, I guess I should keep baking!

x

Val said...

Congratulations! A challenge well completed. I shall really miss sampling the cakes, can't say the same about my waistline though.

This Mid 30s Life said...

Well I certainly love to eat cakes so this blog and I are a perfect match. I'm excited!!

This Mid 30s Life said...

Hang on.... last cake post? On the day I found your blog? I'm normally lucky! Noooooo!!

Sanchita said...

I am a cake lover too. Congratulations on your completion! So what you will be baking/cooking next? BTW I made this cake too. Glad to follow you.

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