Salted Coffee Cake with Walnut Praline
This is a lovely recipe for coffee cake, cuts like a dream, moist and keeps really well. It’s based on the wonderful Emelia Jackson’s recipe for vanilla cake, using the revolutionary reverse creaming method.
It’s rich with strong coffee and sea salt that’s sprinkled on the buttercream and on the praline, giving the cake a great flavour.
For the cake
125g plain flour
175g caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon bi carb soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
112g softened butter
2 free-range eggs, separated
112g Greek yoghurt
2 teaspoons vanilla paste
1 tablespoon extra strong black coffee
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
For the buttercream
75g softened butter
150g icing sugar
1 tablespoon extra strong black coffee
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
For the walnut praline
1 tablespoon walnut pieces
50g caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Preheat the oven to 190° C or 170° C fan. Grease and line with baking paper a 21 x 11 x 7cm loaf tin.
Put the dry ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle or beaters used for cakes and mix briefly to combine the ingredients. Add the butter and mix on a low speed until the butter is incorporated into the dry ingredients in small pieces, a bit like making pastry.
Add egg yolks, Greek yoghurt, vanilla paste and black coffee. Mix to incorporate.
Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar to stiff peaks. Fold a couple of tablespoons of egg white into the mixture to loosen it, then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites.
Spoon the cake mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool the loaf in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack.
Meanwhile make the buttercream icing. Beat the butter until soft in an electric mixture, then add the icing sugar and black coffee.
To make the walnut praline, scatter the walnut pieces onto baking paper. Add the caster sugar to a cold frying pan or heavy based saucepan, place on the stovetop and turn the heat to medium. Watch carefully as the sugar melts. Do not stir or the sugar will crystallise. When the sugar has melted and has turned a deep tea colour, pour over the walnut pieces. Sprinkle over the sea salt. Leave to set.
Ice the loaf liberally with the coffee buttercream using a palette knife. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Break up the praline into shards, then smash into small pieces - whatever size you prefer - and scatter over the cake.
Serve for morning or afternoon tea with - a cup of coffee of course!