Turn an all-time classic into a simple traybake – thick squares of coffee sponge cake with a creamy coffee frosting topped with roasted chopped walnuts, chocolate-covered coffee beans and a dusting of cocoa.
make it this afternoon for a sweet dinnertime treat or to take to work and treat your work mates.
Ingredients
For the sponge
- 225g unsalted butter
- 225g light muscovado sugar
- 275g self-raising flour
- 2 level tsp baking powder
- 4 large eggs (weigh the eggs to ensure you have the same weight as the butter and sugar: 220g), beaten
- 2 shots of espresso topped up to 100ml with full-fat milk
- 100g chopped walnuts
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the coffee frosting
- 100g unsalted butter
- 225g golden icing sugar
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- 1 small shot of espresso, cooled, or 1 heaped tsp of expresso powder dissolved in 2 tbsp water
-
2 tsp vanilla extract
-
For the decoration
- 100g roasted walnuts, chopped
- 40g chocolate coffee beans cocoa powder, for dusting
Method
- Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. Grease and line the base and sides of a 30 x 20cm rectangular cake tin.
- Measure all the cake ingredients into a large bowl and beat until well blended. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and level the top.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until the cake is golden brown, springs back when pressed in the centre with your fingertips and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven. Leave the traybake to cool in the tin. Wrap in cling film and chill before decorating.
- Beat all the frosting ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth.
- Spread the frosting evenly and rustically over the cooled cake using a palette knife. Sprinkle with 100g chopped roasted walnuts and 40g coffee beans and dust with a little cocoa powder. Cut into generous squares and serve at room temperature.
- The traybake will keep for up to 3 days in a suitable container at room temperature and is suitable for freezing.