YUM! Coffee walnut cake with coffee buttercream frosting.

You don't have to like coffee to LOVE this cake. But just like us coffee lovers, you could get hooked--on this coffee buttercream frosting! Mmmm, it's super yummy. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

4 eggs, beaten

3 tablespoons fresh strong black coffee

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup chopped walnuts

walnut halves to decorate (optional)

Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon strong black coffee

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

What to do

Step 1:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans by spreading with a generous layer of butter and lining with parchment paper. TIP: Use light colored (silver) metal cake pans, instead of dark. Light colored pans promote fluffier cake layers that are more level on top. Dark pans will produce sloped cakes that are more dense.

Step 2: Cream together the butter and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs slowly, then beat in the coffee. TIP: For the best flavor, try using a French press to make the coffee.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix with a spoon. Fold in the chopped walnuts. Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans and level the surfaces. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool in the cake pans for five minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely. TIP: Hopefully, you didn't skip the parchment paper when preparing your pans. The paper helps the cake layers come right out of the pans without sticking or tearing.  

Step 4: While the cake cools, make the frosting. Cream together the butter, confectioners' sugar, coffee and vanilla. Beat until creamy-smooth.

Step 5: When the cake layers are completely cooled, spread half of the frosting on the bottom layer, stack the other layer on top, and spread the remaining frosting. Avoid frosting the sides. If you want to, decorate the top with the walnut halves. 

Now serve with a fresh pot of coffee and enjoy! 

Joy--Fearless Farm Girl,

"Farm girl: it's a verb, because it's what you do."