It’s been a little while since I made an afternoon loaf cake – and this date, walnut and coffee loaf with espresso buttercream has been a welcome return.
The recipe starts similarly to sticky toffee pudding; soaking the chopped dates in hot liquid with a spoonful of bicarb. In this case, strong black coffee rather than water.
After this initial stage, the recipe reverts to the familiar cake-making method. You cream the butter with sugars, sift together the dry ingredients and finally fold in the fruit and nuts.
The original recipe that I borrowed said that it would make one loaf – the quantity of mixture produced actually allowed me to make one large (using a 1kg/2lb loaf tin) and one smaller loaf. I’ll be giving the little one to Granny Glittens.
Usually, my loaf cakes go well with a cup of tea. However this one, obviously, suits a mug of coffee better!
Super-moist and sweet – a delicious mid-afternon treat!
Save this date, walnut and coffee loaf with espresso buttercream recipe to Pinterest
- 300g/10½oz chopped dates
- 360ml/12½ fl oz hot, strong, black coffee or espresso
- 1½tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 210g/7½oz plain flour
- 1tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛tsp grated nutmeg
- ¼tsp fine salt
- 60g/2oz butter
- 150g/5¼oz soft brown sugar
- 100g/3½oz granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2tsp vanilla paste
- 100g/3½oz walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp hot water
- 1tsp very fine ground or ½tsp instant espresso powder
- 225g/8oz icing sugar
- 45g/1½oz melted butter
- 1tsp vanilla paste
- 50g/1¾oz walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
- Preheat oven to 175ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4
- In a large bowl, combine the dates, hot coffee or espresso, and bicarbonate of soda. Set aside
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt
- Using a mixer cream the butter and sugars
- Beat in the egg and vanilla
- Strain the date mixture and set the dates aside
- Add the date-soaking liquid, alternating with the flour mixture (about 3 rounds) to the ingredients in the bowl; ending with the liquid
- Fold in the dates and toasted walnuts
- Grease loaf tin(s) with a little butter or baking spray. Insert a tin liner or cut parchment paper to fit the bottom and sides
- Pour the batter into the greased and lined loaf tin(s)
- Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes away clean
- Cool for 20 minutes before removing from the tin; remove the parchment and put on a wire rack to cool completely
- Combine the hot water with the espresso powder and stir until blended
- In a small bowl, whisk together the icing sugar, melted butter, vanilla and espresso
- Spoon & spread the buttercream evenly over the top and scatter the chopped walnuts
- Slice & serve
Cakes & Bakes: Sticky toffee pudding
I’m not usually one to blow my own trumpet, but my first attempt at sticky toffee pudding produced a masterpiece! It was full of flavour, had the perfect texture and was hearty without being heavy.
My tried & tested measure of a restaurant is by the quality of their sticky toffee pudding. So far, the one from The Inn at Whitewell tops the league table. Highly commended are the offerings from The Shepherd’s Rest in Lumbutts and The Old Bridge Inn in Ripponden.
I reckon my effort could hold its own with any of them! Here’s the recipe…
Click here for some of my other pudding recipes!
Sticky toffee pudding
Ingredients
- 300 g/10½oz dried dates seeds removed (about 35 dates)
- 300 ml/10½fl oz water
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 60 g/2oz butter cubed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 200 g/7oz self-raising flour
- 100 g/3½oz Demerara sugar
- 50 g/1¾oz Muscovado sugar
- butterscotch sauce
- 200 g/7oz soft brown sugar
- 300 ml/10½fl oz double cream
- 1 tbs + 1 tsp golden syrup
- 25 g/¾oz butter
Instructions
- Put the dates and water into a medium saucepan over high heat
- When the mixture starts to boil, add the bicarbonate of soda and the 60g butter ( be careful, the mix will fizz quite a bit!)
- Remove from the heat, stir and set aside for half an hour
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4
- Line the circumference & base of a 20cm diameter round spring-form cake tin with baking parchment/ greaseproof paper
- Put the cooled date mixture into a food processor and pulse a few times to make a chunky paste
- In a small measuring jug, lightly beat the eggs before adding the vanilla extract
- Pour into the date mixture and pulse a few more times until just combined
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift in the flour
- Add 100g Demerara sugar and 50g Muscovado sugar and combine with the flour
- Pour the date & egg mixture into the flour & sugar mixture, gently folding the ingredients together until just combined
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the pudding comes away clean
- Remove from the oven and leave the pudding in the tin on a wire rack and allow it to cool for 10 minutes
- With a wooden or metal skewer, make several deep holes in the pudding
- Set aside while you make the butterscotch sauce
- Put all the butterscotch sauce ingredients into a small saucepan
- Stir over a medium heat using a wooden spoon until the mixture is well combined and begins to bubble
- Reduce the heat and simmer for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Carefully pour 125ml of the hot butterscotch sauce evenly over the top of the pudding
- Allow the pudding to stand for at least 5 minutes before removing from the cake tin
