Coffee and Walnut Layer Cake

INGREDIENTS

100ml coffee

1 cinnamon stick

4 cardamom pods

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup caster sugar

4 eggs

2 cups self-raising flour

½ tsp baking powder

⅔ cup FreshLife Californian Walnuts chopped

Chocolate Frosting

1 cup butter softened

½ cup cocoa powder, sieved

2 cups Icing sugar, sieved

30ml coffee

To decorate:

Dark chocolate peels & shavings

METHOD

• Immerse cinnamon stick and cardamon pods in freshly brewed hot coffee. Leave to cool until it comes to room temperature. Discard spices.

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line 2 springform cake tins.

• In a mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Continue mixing while slowly adding eggs, flour and baking powder. Pour in the cooled coffee and fold in the walnuts. Divide cake batter between the 2 tins.

• Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes until golden and risen, and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave for 5 minutes then remove from tins and let cool completely on a wire rack.

• For the Chocolate Frosting: Whip butter and cocoa powder together until smooth. Stir in icing sugar and whip for 1 minute. Add coffee until desired consistency.

To decorate: Place a cake on a cake stand and add about a third of the frosting to the centre. Use a palette knife or spatula to smooth it to the edge evenly. Place the second cake on top and use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides. Garnish decadently with chocolate peels and extra walnuts.