Hey all,

Hope you’re well?

Let’s talk about coffee. I’ve grown to really love good coffee over the last few years. That wasn’t always the case, back in college and uni, I only ever drank espresso shots to fuel an all night study session. I used to add way too much sugar, hold my nose, and chug it back. And, then, hit the books and/or laptop. It was purely a necessity. Especially for someone as last minute as me. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one out there that spent waaaay too much time doing things other than studying before realising there was a deadline the next day.

Whilst my tastebuds seem to have matured, and I now absolutely adore a good cup of coffee, I limit it to one or two good cups over the weekend. I don’t like relying on it to be able to function like a normal human being. Been there, done that, not a good place to be.

This weekend, I opted to incorporate my coffee fix into my baking and switched up the traditional coffee and walnut cake by using pecans instead and throwing in some maple syrup to really get the party started. The party in my mouth that is.

 

Ingredients:

Cake:

•  75g chopped pecans
• 180g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 150g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 185g plain flour
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 1 freshly brewed espresso shot, cooled to room temperature. (I recently invested in this moka pot, and bought some Ethiopian coffee grounds from Waitrose and I can’t recommend it enough! Also, have I ever told you how much I love Waitrose?! I even worked there for a bit whilst at uni…)
• Pinch of salt

Icing:

• 100g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 200g icing sugar
• 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 1 freshly brewed espresso shot, cooled to room temperature
• Extra pecans to decorate

Instructions:

1. Grease and line two 7-inch baking tins and preheat the oven to gas mark 4.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar, until light and fluffy, using a handheld whisk in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
4. Add one egg at a time, whisking to combine each time.
5. Sieve in the flour mixture, folding to combine.
6. Add the pecans, espresso and maple syrup and stir to combine.
7. Separate your batter, equally into the two tins before baking in the oven for around 20mins or until a skewer / cake tester come out clean.
8. Turn out the cakes out of the tins and place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
9. Meanwhile, you can start on your icing. Whip the icing sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the espresso and maple syrup and whisk until well combined.
10. To assemble, place one of the layers on to a cake board before topping with just under half the icing. Use a palette knife to distribute evenly. Carefully place the second layer on top before adding the rest of the icing. Decorate with a border of pecan nuts if desired.

Enjoy!

– Kay