Serves: 12, Calories: 586

Ingredients

Cake:

• 100g toasted walnuts, well crushed. (Reserve 25g for decoration)  700
• 225g caster sugar.   900
• 225g unsalted butter, softened.   1690
• 225g self raising flour.   754
• 6 tsp fine coffee powder
• 4 large eggs.   300
• 3 tbsp (45ml) Tia Maria.   135
• 100ml sour cream (optional)

Buttercream:

• 300g icing sugar, sifted.   1200
• 175g unsalted butter, softened.   1314
• 3 tsp fine coffee powder
• 1.½ tbsp (22ml) Tia Maria.   45

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4.
2. In large frying pan; Dry fry walnuts for 5 mins. Cool for 10 mins. Crush/chop.
3. Grease and line 2x 8" sandwich tins.
4. Cake: In large mixing bowl; Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
5. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions. Add 2 tbsp flour with last egg. Mix well.
6. Optional: Whisk in sour cream.
7. Sift in flour and coffee powder, add Tia Maria and 75g walnuts. Fold in.
8. Divide between tins. Bake for 25-28 mins, until spongy and skewer comes out clean.
9. Cool in tins for 10 mins. Turn out.
10. Buttercream: In large Pyrex bowl; Cream butter, icing sugar and coffee powder, with a fork.
11. Beat in Tia Maria to slacken.
12. Spread ½ the icing onto bottom cake. Place second cake on top. Spread remaining icing on top.
13. Press 25g walnut bits onto top of cake.

Calories = 7036

• 7036 / 12 = 586

Tip: Sour cream increases life of cake from 3 days to 5.