By Marie in Ponikve, Slovenia
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Ingredients:
For the Cake
- 1 1/2 tbsp Instant coffee mixed with 2 tbsp boiling water
- 3 oz. Walnut halves
- 6 oz. Self-raising flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 6 oz. Softened butter
- 6 oz. Golden castor sugar
- 3 Large eggs (at room temperature)
For the Syrup
- 1 tbsp Instant espresso coffee powder
- 2 oz. Demera sugar
- 2 fl. oz. Boiling water
For Filling and Topping
- 1 tbsp Instant espresso coffee powder
- 1 Rounded tbsp golden caster sugar
- 10 Walnut halves
- 9 oz. Mascarpone
- 7 fl. oz. 8% Fate fromage frais
Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C). Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 7-8 min. Set aside 10 walnuts for later, and finely chop the rest.
Take a very large mixing bowl and combine flour and baking powder in a sieve and sift into the bowl, holding the sieve high. Add the rest of the cake ingredients except the coffee and walnuts. Mix until you have a smooth, well-combined texture, then fold in coffee and chopped walnuts. Add a bit of water if mixture is too thick.
If making a layered cake, divide the mixture between two 8″ x 1 1/2″ lightly greased pans with bases lined with parchment paper. Spread mixture around evenly, and place on the centre shelf of the oven. Bake for 30 min or until springy in the centre.
In the meantime, make the syrup and filling. For the syrup, place coffee and sugar into a heatproof container, then measure the boiling water into it and stir until all is dissolved. For the filling, place all the ingredients except the walnuts into a bowl and whisk until thoroughly blended. Cover and chill until ready to decorate.
Once done, remove the cakes from the oven and leave them in the pans to cool but prick them all over while they’re still hot. Spoon the syrup evenly over each cake and leave them to soak up the liquid as they cool.
When cakes are ready, gently turn them out and peel off the parchment paper. Spread the filling mixture over the first cake and place the second carefully on top. Spread the remaining topping and filling mixture over the second cake. Decorate with walnut halves as desired. Chill or serve immediately!