Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes

It was N’s birthday a few weeks ago but it landed in the middle of the working week, so I promised to do some baking the following weekend. His all time favourite flavours are coffee and walnut, so these bad boys are packed full of both.

I don’t actually like coffee, but I couldn’t resist licking the spoon and let me tell you that combining the flavour with the sweet buttery frosting does something magical! (I did suggest to N that maybe coffee would taste better with butter but for some reason he thought this was weird!).

The recipe couldn’t be simpler, but don’t do what I did and carefully spoon your mix into each individual casing, then discover just as you’re about to put them in the oven that your chopped walnuts are still sitting in their bowl! *pacepalm* Cue careful individual spooning of walnuts into each case… oh well, we can’t all be Nigella!

Recipe (makes 12 cupcakes)

Cake Mix

2 eggs
4oz / 115 g caster sugar
4oz / 115g butter (room temperature)
4oz / 115g self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2tsp instant coffee dissolved into 2 tsp hot water
85g walnuts

Frosting

12oz / 350g icing sugar
6oz / 175g butter
1 tbsp instant coffee dissolved into 1 tbsp hot water

6 walnuts, halved

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and finely chop your walnuts.
• Beat together the remaining cupcake ingredients until light and fluffy.

• Gently fold your walnuts into the mixture and then spoon it into 12 cupcake cases.

• Bake in the oven for approx 15 minutes, checking occasionally. They are done when a cocktail stick comes out clean, and the top of the cupcake springs back when pressed.

• After 10 minutes remove the cupcakes from the tray and leave them on a wire rack to cool down completely.
• Beat together the frosting ingredients: icing sugar, instant coffee, water and butter. If the mixture is too stiff, add a very small amount of water until you have a good consistency for icing.
• Fill a piping bag with the icing and using a swirling motion, ice your cupcakes.
• Add a half walnut to the top of each as a finishing touch!