Bittersweet coffee and walnut flavours in a rich but fluffy vegan sponge cake, topped with a delicious dairy-free coffee buttercream frosting.
One of my favourite cakes and always a crowd-pleaser.
The whipped dairy-free coffee buttercream pairs beautifully with the slightly bitter, toasty flavour of the walnuts. The sponge is light and tender while still offering a pleasant bite from the chopped nuts.
This cake is perfect alongside a cup of coffee or as a special bake for guests.
Recipe featured in my cookbook ‘Great British Vegan’ — find more vegan British classics in the book.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Coffee & Walnut Cake
10
20 minutes
20 minutes
40 minutes
This bittersweet cake works brilliantly with tea or coffee. The chopped walnuts add a pleasant texture that complements the smooth coffee buttercream.
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp instant coffee granules
- 400 g / 14 oz (3 cups) self-raising (self-rising) flour
- 240 g / 8 1⁄2 oz (scant 2 1⁄4 cups) caster sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 400 ml / 14 fl oz (1 3⁄4 cups) unsweetened dairy-free milk
- 160 ml / 5 1⁄4 fl oz (2⁄3 cup) vegetable oil
- 130 g / 4 1⁄2 oz (1 heaped cup) chopped walnuts
- A few walnut halves, for decorating
For the buttercream
- 160 g / 5 3⁄4 oz (2⁄3 cup) dairy-free butter
- 200 g / 7 oz icing (confectioner’s) sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Make a paste with the instant coffee granules and 4 tablespoons of boiling water. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan / 180°C / 350°F / gas 4. Grease two 23 cm / 9-inch round cake tins and line the bases with greaseproof paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the self-raising flour, caster sugar and baking powder. In a jug, combine the dairy-free milk, vegetable oil and all but 1½ tablespoons of the cooled coffee paste (reserve that for the buttercream). Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until smooth. Fold in the chopped walnuts.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the buttercream, beat the reserved coffee paste with the dairy-free butter and sifted icing sugar until light and fluffy.
- Spread half the buttercream over the top of one cake, place the second cake on top, then spread the remaining buttercream over the top. Decorate with walnut halves.
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a comment, rate and share!