Walnut Cake with Coffee Buttercream and Apricot Glaze

This walnut cake is a light butter sponge cake filled with crunchy walnuts, glazed with apricot jam, and covered in Swiss meringue coffee buttercream studded with toasted walnut bits. Light on the palette, it’s perfect for afternoon tea or after-dinner dessert.

When you take a light and buttery walnut cake and amp up the flavor a couple of notches with a delicious coffee buttercream frosting and apricot glaze, it becomes extra special – unforgettable.

This walnut cake is a great choice for afternoon tea or after-dinner dessert when you’d like to finish on a sweet note but won’t have enough tummy room to take in a rich dessert.

It also keeps well for days on the counter without taking up precious room in the refrigerator. (Warning: Keep a watchful eye though, ‘cos someone might well be tempted to sneak out a slice – true story.)

this recipe

The secret to a smooth and perfect walnut cake crumb: Reverse-creaming method {super easy!}

If you’ve not heard of the reverse-creaming method, you’re in for a real treat! I promise this is just about as easy as a stir-and-mix method in recipes like my cinnamon pecan blondies and these must-try double chocolate banana muffins.

But first, let’s talk about the conventional method of making batter-type cakes that we do know – the creaming method.

Most standard butter cake recipes start with creaming butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then adding the eggs one at a time, followed by alternately mixing in the liquid and dry ingredients.

With reverse-creaming, as the name implies, we reverse the order.

You start by paddling the dry ingredients together like flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar, then adding the butter until the mixture turns sandy, and mixing in the liquids and eggs last.

Now I know this sounds wacky and feels counter-intuitive at first, but think of how pie dough starts with rubbing butter into flour and sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs before adding water or eggs to bind the mixture together, and you’ll feel somewhat familiar with the process.

What you should know is that reverse-creaming is much quicker and easier to do than the conventional creaming method, and produces a perfect cake every time.

We’re talking about turning out cakes with an even, tender and velvety crumb, consistently!

The fact is, when you use the reverse-creaming method, it’s literally impossible to over-beat or over-work your cake batter so you can avoid ending up with a dense and tough cake.

Doesn’t that beautiful crumb (above) make you want to dive all in?

Ingredients for walnut cake and coffee buttercream

I’m not a plan-ahead kind of gal, so I don’t always know what I’ll be baking up from one week to the next.

So between running errands, attending self-improvement webinars, and working my butt off in the gym three times a week, I’m thankful for recipes like this that don’t require an extra trip to the store for special ingredients.

Here’s what you’ll need – make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature.

For the cake

• plain or all-purpose flour. Though I’m a fan of low-protein flour like cake flour, this recipe actually works better with plain. The cake bakes up tender and fluffy, without being crumbly.
• baking powder. Make sure to test if your baking powder is still active. And yes, we’ll be needing a full tablespoon of it, no typo error.
• salt. Salt balances the sweetness and accentuates the flavors of other ingredients. Remember to omit if you’re using salted butter.
• caster sugar. Use fine or extra-fine granulated sugar.
• unsalted butter. For a rich, pure, sweet buttery flavor, my personal favorites are European butters like Danish or French with a high butterfat content (82 – 86%).
• full-cream dairy milk. If you’re avoiding dairy, you can substitute with nut milks like unsweetened almond milk or hazelnut milk.
• vanilla extract. Use pure vanilla extract for a deeper, intense flavor.
• eggs. Large or extra-large eggs (depending on your region) work best. Please take a moment to read the recipe notes in the recipe card below for recommended egg sizes.
• walnuts. I personally love walnuts, but you can easily swap it out for pecans or hazelnuts if you like.
• apricot jam (optional, but highly recommended). Apricot jam is not too sweet and really adds a little extra oomph. You can skip it and cover the whole cake in coffee buttercream (the recipe makes extra frosting).

For the coffee buttercream

• egg whites. Use egg whites from large or extra-large eggs. Be careful not to get any trace of yolk in the whites when separating, or else they won’t whip up stiff.
• caster sugar
• unsalted butter
• instant espresso powder. I love a strong coffee flavor but if you prefer it a bit mild, you can use any regular instant coffee powder.

Step-by-step: How to make the perfect walnut cake

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients.

Sift together plain flour, baking powder, and salt into the mixer bowl. Add the sugar and paddle the mixture on low speed for 1 minute.

Step 2: Beat in the butter.

With the paddle still turning, add the softened butter, 2 – 3 cubes at a time.

Step 3: Don’t overmix.

Stop the mixer when the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-size clumps.

Step 4: Add the liquids.

Add the milk and vanilla extract all at once. Mix for 30 seconds, then increase to medium speed and beat for 30 seconds more. Scrape up the bottom and down the sides of the mixer bowl.

Step 5: Beat in the eggs.

With the paddle turning at low speed, beat in 1 egg. Increase to medium speed and beat for 30 seconds.

Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Repeat with the second egg, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition until all 3 eggs are beaten in.

Step 6: Fold in the walnuts.

Tip in 50 grams of chopped walnuts (reserve the rest for decorating) and mix for 15 seconds until they’re well distributed throughout the batter.

Step 7: Fill the baking pan.

Spoon out the batter into the baking pans of your choice, spread evenly, and smoothen the surface with an offset spatula.

Bake for 40 – 45 minutes on the middle rack for a 7″/8″ (18-cm/20-cm) pan; 22 – 25 minutes for 7″/8″ (18-cm/20-cm) layers. The cake is done when it rises, turns golden brown, and springs back when lightly pressed.

Step 8: Cool.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it sit in the pan for 2 – 3 minutes. Turn it out onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment paper, and let it cool completely.

Step-by-step: How to make Swiss meringue coffee buttercream

Step 1: Warm egg whites and sugar.

In a small heatproof bowl, whisk egg whites and sugar and place it over a saucepan or pot filled with 1 -2 inches of simmering water (make sure it sits above the water).

Whisk continuously until the mixture no longer feels grainy between your fingers, or until the temperature reaches 71°C (160°F).

Step 2: Whip up the meringue.

Transfer to a stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk and whip on medium-high speed until the meringue is stiff and cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.

Note: A meringue that’s too warm will melt the butter, causing the buttercream to become soft and soupy. If this happens, pop the bowl it into the chiller for 30 minutes, then beat again until light and fluffy.

Step 3: Beat in the butter.

Switch out the whisk for a paddle. Make sure the butter is cool, not warm or melty. Beat in the butter cubes, 2 to 3 pieces at a time, at medium speed.

The mixture will start to curdle and look awful, but just keep going until the buttercream becomes light, smooth and fluffy. This may take several minutes.

Step 4: Add the coffee solution.

Reduce the mixer speed to low. Pour in the coffee solution and beat for 10 seconds until well mixed. Set aside in a cool, dry place until needed.

Finish the cake

Brush the apricot jam (optional). Place the jam in a heatproof bowl and microwave for 15 seconds on high power. Brush over the top of the cake, leaving 0.5”/1-cm of the edges free.

Cover with buttercream frosting and walnut bits. With an offset spatula, spread the buttercream on all sides of the cake – don’t worry about getting it smooth.

Gently press the remaining chopped walnuts over the buttercream with your palm or use a cake scraper to help.

Fit a piping bag with your desired piping tip and fill with the remaining coffee buttercream. Pipe the desired patterns over the apricot glaze and around the edges of the cake. Decorate with whole walnuts.

Easy Decorating Tip!

Cut 4 parchment or wax paper strips and place them on the serving plate. Place the cake (or first layer) on the plate such that the paper strips are partially tucked under the edges of the cake.

When you’ve finished decorating, pulling out the strips from under the cake ensures you get clean edges all around, and an easier clean up!

Walnut cake: Frequently asked questions

How to serve this walnut cake

This cake is best kept at room temperature. Because of its high butter content, this walnut cake will keep moist and tender at room temperature.

Store in an air-tight container or a well-sealed cake box with a lid, and place in a dry, cool area of your kitchen counter. It will keep well for 3 – 5 days.

If stored in the refrigerator, you can expect butter to harden (both in the cake as well as the buttercream) so it needs to sit at room temperature for at least 1 – 2 hours before serving.

Skip the frosting! Walnut cake is the perfect everyday cake

At the heart of this walnut cake is a light and moist vanilla butter cake – it’s perfect for everyday tea.

Even on a busy day when you’re dashing between errands, minding the kids, and killing it in the gym, a plain walnut cake is a super easy, quick bake you’ll be able to fit into the day when you’re craving a buttery slice with your favorite cuppa.

If you love this, you might also like:

• The Ultimate Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Extra Moist Coffee Walnut Cake with Coffee Glaze
• Sweet Buttery Nectarine Torte Topped with Walnuts
• Cranberry Pecan Loaf Cake with Lemon Cinnamon Glaze

 

---

First published on April 2015, this article has been completely re-written in April 2022 to introduce an easy, beginner-friendly recipe and tested to ensure consistent baking outcomes.