MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: Captain Tom Moore's Coffee & Walnut Birthday Cake
 Categories: Celebrity, Cakes
      Yield: 1 Cake
 
MMMMM---------------------------SPONGE--------------------------------
    400 g  Unsalted butter; softened;
           -plus extra for greasing
    400 g  Self-raising flour; plus
           -extra for dusting
    400 g  Golden caster sugar
      8 lg Free-range eggs
      2 tb Cocoa
      2 ts Baking powder
    150 g  Walnuts
     60 ml Very strong cold espresso
           -coffee -OR-
      6 tb Coffee essence

MMMMM-----------------WALNUT PRALINE, (OPTIONAL----------------------
    150 g  Golden caster sugar
     50 g  Walnuts

MMMMM------------------------BUTTERCREAM-----------------------------
    200 g  Unsalted butter; at room
           -temperature
    500 g  Icing sugar
     30 ml Very strong cold espresso
           --OR-
      3 tb Coffee essence

MMMMM-------------------DECORATION, (OPTIONAL------------------------
           Extra buttercream
           Walnuts
           Dark chocolate
           Coffee beans
           Cocoa
 
  Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease two 20-cm sandwich cake
  tins and line the bases with greaseproof paper. Dust the sides with
  flour, then tap the tin to shake off any excess.
  
  Cut the butter into cubes, then put into a large mixing bowl of an
  upright stand mixer with the caster sugar, and beat on high for 5
  minutes or until very pale and creamy. Feel free to do this by hand,
  or with electric beaters.
  
  Beat in the eggs one by one, mixing well before adding the next. Sift
  in the flour, cocoa, and baking powder and gently fold through.
  
  Finely chop the walnuts, then fold through the batter and stir in the
  coffee. Divide half the mixture equally between the prepared tins and
  bake for 25 minutes, or until risen and golden, and a skewer inserted
  comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the tins, then transfer the cakes
  to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cake
  mixture.
  
  If you're making the praline, sprinkle the sugar evenly over the base
  of a medium nonstick frying pan on a medium-high heat. As the sugar
  starts to melt, gently swirl the pan from time to time to incorporate
  it all, but don't stir until the sugar has almost completely
  dissolved. You are looking for a deep-golden caramel colour. Once the
  sugar has completely dissolved, stir until you have a smooth caramel.
  Roughly chop the walnuts and stir through the caramel until
  thoroughly coated. Very carefully pour onto a large sheet of
  greaseproof paper, then quickly spread out the nuts and leave to cool
  completely.
  
  To make the buttercream, cut the butter into cubes, place in the bowl
  of a stand mixer, and whisk for 2 minutes, or until creamy.
  Alternatively, you could beat it by hand or with electric beaters.
  Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, then gradually add it to the mixer,
  a few spoonfuls at a time. Once all the sugar is incorporated, add
  the coffee and whisk for 4 to 5 minutes or until very pale and
  fluffy--it should resemble whipped cream. If using coffee essence,
  you may find the buttercream is a little thick, so add a small splash
  of water to loosen and whisk for an additional minute.)
  
  To assemble the cake, trim off the tops of the sponges so they're
  nice and even. Spread a tiny amount of buttercream onto a serving
  plate or board, then place one of the sponges on top. Spread the top
  of the sponge with 1/4 of the buttercream, using a spatula, until
  evenly covered. Place a second sponge cake on top, spread with
  another 1/4 of the buttercream, and repeat with the third sponge.
  Place the fourth sponge on top and refrigerate to set for
       30    minutes.
  
  Use the remaining buttercream to ice the top and sides of the cake in
  a thin layer.
  
  Now you can decorate the cake however you like--you could pipe swirls
  of icing and dot with whole walnuts; smash up some of the praline
  fine and sprinkle around the edges; melt some dark chocolate and
  spread evenly onto a sheet of greaseproof paper, sprinkle over some
  bashed-up coffee beans, place in the fridge until set and then snap
  into shards with some praline and poke in the top; or add some
  chocolate-covered coffee beans, maybe an extra dusting of cocoa, or
  some shavings of dark chocolate.
  
  Posted by: Jamie Oliver
 
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