Coffee & Walnut Traybake Cake

A fluffy coffee sponge with walnuts, topped with a smooth coffee buttercream and more walnuts

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Keyword Cake, Traybake

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Decorating time 20

Servings +

Calories 642kcal

Author thebakingexplorer

For the cake, mix the instant coffee and boiling water together, set aside to cool fully
Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4, and grease and line a 12" x 9" traybake tin
Make the cake by mixing the baking spread (or butter) and golden caster sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy, around 3 minutes, ideally using an electric mixer. Or in the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment
Add the eggs, the coffee mixture, the coffee extract if using, and whisk until fully incorporated
Add the self raising flour and the chopped walnuts. Fold them in gently
Pour the mixture into the tin, spread it out into an even layer
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool fully either in the tin or on a cooling rack
For the buttercream, mix the instant coffee and boiling water together, set aside to cool fully
Make the buttercream by mixing the softened butter on it;'s own for a few minutes, then add the coffee extract if using, coffee and water mixture, milk and icing sugar, and mix until smooth. You can do this by hand, but an electric whisk or stand mixer with paddle attachment will provide the best results. If the buttercream is too stiff, you can add a little more milk
Spread or pipe the buttercream all over the cake, and decorate with the walnuts
To serve, slice into squares with a sharp knife. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in a cool place and eat within 3 days

Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
I used a baking spread for the cake and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
I used golden caster sugar for the cake, but regular caster sugar will work if you prefer.
If you want to make this into a coffee traybake cake, you can leave out the walnuts.
I used Nescafe Azera instant coffee for this recipe, you will need an instant coffee to make this cake. You can also boost the flavour with coffee extract if you like, I like Nielsen Massey's.
You will need a 12" x 9" traybake tin for this recipe. However, if you want to make it in a 9" square tin, check the recipe notes for the ingredient details.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50).
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

If you want to make this cake in a 9" square tin you will need: