Coffee and Walnut Loaf Cake

This easy, moist classic coffee and walnut cake is full of coffee and walnut notes, topped with a delicious coffee and brown sugar cream cheese frosting.

Coffee and walnut cakes are classic British cakes that supposedly originated in 1934 when the flour brand McDougalls published a "new recipe" in an advert for their self-raising flour.

Growing up in a former British colony, and having British heritage, I have seen a recipe or two for coffee and walnut cake growing up. However, it was not one that we made.

I decided that what the world needed was a coffee walnut loaf cake. I love loaf cakes - because they are simple to make, and generally require a lot less frosting or icing than a typical layer cake. So they are sweet enough to satisfy the sweet tooth without overpowering.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• This takes the classic walnut and coffee cake and turns it into a super easy loaf cake
• The coffee-brown sugar cream cheese icing really complements the nutty coffee flavors of the cake.
• This coffee and walnut loaf cake is delicious by itself as a stand-alone cake without any icing or frosting for those of us who are looking for a delicious treat without the sweetness.
• This recipe uses raw walnuts which can be substituted with pecans or even slivered almonds.

Ingredients

Here are some notes on the ingredients used in this recipe. Please see the recipe card for quantities.

Butter adds flavor, softness, and moisture and sometimes aids in the leavening of baked goods. I use New Zealand butter in my recipes, which has approximately 82% butterfat and can be very yellow (similar to European or Irish butter). Butter cannot be substituted with butter or margarine spreads, but it can be substituted with baking margarine. If using salted butter you can leave out the additional salt in the recipe.

Make sure your baking powder is fresh (especially if you haven't bought some in a while) by placing a ½ teaspoon into a cup or bowl. Pour about a ¼ cup of boiling water over the baking powder. If it foams and bubbles it is still fresh.

Salt is a crucial ingredient in all baked goods. I use table salt in all my recipes. One teaspoon of table salt equals 1.5 teaspoons of Morton Kosher Salt equals 2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal.

Brown and White Sugar add sweetness to the loaf. The brown sugar also adds some notes of caramelization to the cake.

Flour - plain, all-purpose, or standard-grade flour is used in this recipe. This can be substituted with self-raising or self-rising flour and leaving out any additional baking powder.

Eggs bind the cake together.

Instant coffee adds the coffee flavor to this cake. This can be substituted with espresso powder.

Chopped raw walnuts add a delicious nutty flavor to this cake. Roasted walnuts can be used in this recipe if you so wish.

Vanilla extract enhances the flavors of the other ingredients in recipe and is a cornerstone ingredients to baked goods and desserts containing eggs.

Brown sugar and icing sugar to flavor and sweeten the icing sugar/frosting.

Cream cheese adds a nice tang to the frosting, I always use the block of Philidelphia cream cheese. Generally, any block of cream cheese should work fine. Tub-based or softer cream cheeses will result in frosting or icing that is too soft.

Room Temperature Ingredients

Use room-temperature ingredients! Using room temperature ingredients ensures that ingredients in the batter or dough will incorporate easier. Take note that room temperature refers to around 20°C/68F.

• To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, place them into warm water for about 10 to 15 minutes.
• To bring butter to room temperature quickly, cut the butter into cubes and zap it in the microwave at 20% power in 10-second intervals. Or place the cubes in a bowl over warm water (such as with a double boiler) over low heat for 1 minute!
• Milk, buttermilk, and cream can be brought to room temperature by zapping in the microwave at 20% power in 10-second intervals. Or on low heat for a minute or two swirling every 10-15 seconds.
• If the butter is too warm/soft for baking - pop it into the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 180°C/355°F. Grease and line a regular or standard loaf pan with parchment or baking paper, making sure to leave an overhang for easy removal of the loaf.

Step 2 - Add the coffee to the hot water, stir, and allow it to cool.

Step 3 - In a large bowl, beat together the butter, brown and white sugar until well combined. This will take about 2-3 minutes using an electric hand mixer.

Step 4 - Add in the eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined, light, fluffy, and smooth. About 2-3 minutes using an electric mixer.

Step 7 - Pour into the loaf tin. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out mostly clean from the center of the loaf.

NOTE - to help the bread split open in the middle during baking (which also allows the cake to rise), place either a thin band of melted butter or cut thin 2mm x 2mm strips of butter and place in the center of the loaf.

NOTE - do not overbake the loaf. Check the status of the loaf at 45 minutes and continue baking at 10-minute increments until a tester comes out mostly clean.

Step 8 - Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before placing it on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Step 9 - Combine 1 tablespoon of milk with the ½ teaspoon of coffee, stir, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the room-temperature cream cheese and butter. Beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth and combined. This will take about 3-5 minutes.

Step 10- Add in the brown sugar and beat until well combined and dissolved. This will take about 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 11 - Add in the coffee milk and mix through. Then add in half the icing sugar and mix. Continue adding the icing sugar until the frosting is a nice spreadable consistency.

NOTE - If it feels like the frosting needs more icing sugar than the recipe calls for, pop it into the fridge for 5 minutes.

Step 12 - Spread the icing over the top of the cake. Slice and serve.

Storage and Freezing

Store this coffee walnut loaf cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Keep in mind that this is a moist quickbread, and should the weather be rather warm, store the bread in the fridge instead.

Alternatively, you can freeze the coffee walnut loaf cake by wrapping it in cling film and tin or aluminum foil for up to 3 months.

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