Coffee and Walnut Cake
A soft vegan coffee and walnut cake topped with a light, irresistible cream cheese frosting
INGREDIENTS
For the Cake:
- 230 g Self-raising flour
- 180 g Sugar
- 240 ml Soya milk
- 6 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 100 g Walnuts, chopped
- 3 tbsp Instant coffee (use 4 tbsp for a stronger flavour)
- 3 tbsp Boiling water
- 0.5 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp Vinegar
For the 'Cheese' Cream:
- 50 g Vegan 'cream cheese' (I used Violife)
- 30 g Vegan butter (I use Alpro)
- 0.5 tsp Vanilla extract
- 50 g Sugar
- 2 tbsp Soya milk
- 4 tbsp Aquafaba (whipped to peaks)
For the Decoration:
- 3 tbsp Walnuts, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Cake:
- 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a rectangular tin with oil or butter and dust it with flour.
- 2 Mix the instant coffee with the boiling water and leave to cool.
- 3 In a large bowl, mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and sugar.
- 4 Add the soya milk, the cooled coffee, the oil, the vanilla extract and the vinegar. Mix well until you have a smooth batter.
- 5 Gently fold the chopped walnuts into the batter. Pour it into the tin and spread it out evenly.
- 6 Bake for 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. Leave to cool completely.
For the 'Cheese' Cream:
- 1 In a bowl, beat the vegan 'cream cheese', vegan butter and vanilla extract until smooth.
- 2 Add the sugar and beat well until fully combined.
- 3 Add the soya milk and mix well again.
- 4 In another bowl, whisk the aquafaba to soft peaks, then measure out 4 tablespoons of the whipped aquafaba.
- 5 Gently fold the whipped aquafaba into the 'cheese' cream, mixing carefully to keep it light.
For the Decoration:
- 1 Once the cake is cold, spread the 'cheese' cream over it and decorate with the chopped walnuts. Cut into 16 pieces and serve.
