Recipe: Vegan Coffee & Walnut Cake

Name: Ultimate Vegan Coffee & Walnut Cake
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 6 tbsp instant coffee ((mixed with 3 tbsp boiling water)); 600 g self-raising flour; 360 g caster sugar; 3 tsp baking powder; 600 ml soya milk; 240 ml rapeseed oil ((or other flavourless oil)); 200 g walnuts ((use two thirds chopped in the cake batter, and the remaining one third finely chopped for decoration)); 3 tbsp instant coffee ((mixed with 1 1/2 tbsp boiling water)); 250 g dairy-free margarine ((at room temperature)); 640 g icing sugar; 1/2 tsp salt; 6 tbsp dairy-free single cream ((soya or oat))

January 19, 2018

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This decadent vegan Coffee & Walnut Cake is easy to make, and a real showstopper. Light and nutty sponge layers filled with fluffy coffee buttercream.

Mmmmm…. cake alert! I find it hard to resist the temptation to make a slightly-oversized triple layer cake from time to time, and I’m gradually working my way through vegan-ising all the Great British favourites. My Ultimate Vegan Victoria Sponge is one of the most popular recipes on the blog, and if you’re looking for a failsafe rich fruit cake, my Ultimate Vegan Christmas Cake recipe is not far behind, (I’ve just had an e-mail from a reader who is using it as her wedding cake, isn’t that lovely?!).

And today I bring you… the Ultimate Vegan Coffee & Walnut Cake. This one is a keeper, I promise. The coffee buttercream is incredibly creamy and light, and the dark, nutty sponge has just the right level of coffee to be a strong flavour without turning bitter.

I made mine a triple-layer because I like BIG cakes with lots of buttercream(!), but if you only have two tins you could either bake two cakes first then the third afterwards, or else make just 2 larger cakes and either use them as they are, or slice them in half to make 4 thinner layers, (oh the decadence!).

This is just the sort of showstopper to casually bring in to the office to share with anyone who has passed comment on your veganism recently, (“so do you just eat a lot of salad then?” – you know the ones!).

Can I Freeze my Vegan Coffee Cake?

Yes! The coffee sponges themselves freeze very well so you can make them ahead of time, (or even batch-cook two at once!). Pop a sheet of greaseproof paper or baking parchment between each layer then wrap the whole lot tightly in foil.

When you need to serve the cake you can just defrost. make the buttercream and layer it up – it is almost impossible to tell that it isn’t freshly baked!

Vegan in 15 Cookbook

There are plenty of similarly quick and easy recipes in my new book, ‘Vegan in 15‘*.

Hop over to Amazon for a look. Thanks for your support!

*Affiliate links

Reader Testimonials

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I just wanted to express my appreciation for your wonderful recipe! I made this cake yesterday and was so happy with how it turned out! This cake will now be a regular feature in our household. Lovely recipe, thanks again!!!” Priyam

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Just made this today, my first attempt at making a cake and omg, its amazing! Im so proud to have done this. It’s so so good! Thank you! I’ll certainly be bookmarking your website and trying many more! 😁” Leigh

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Great cake – have used this recipe a few times (was turning into a post Parkrun classic – now is just a classic )🥇 Not many complaints – the only one being ‘where’s my second slice gone!’” John

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Brilliant recipe… this really worked well, came out perfectly, looked good, tasted delicious, best vegan coffee cake I’ve made. Thank you” Jules

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “The cake is absolutely delicious! Perfect texture and sweetness and so nice and simple to make. Thank you for the recipe and building my confidence as a baker!” Antonia

Vegan Coffee Cake - this light and moist vegan coffee & walnut cake is easy to make and totally delicious!

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tagging me @thevegspace or using the hashtag #thevegspace to show me how you got on!

And if you have tried this recipe, please do leave a star rating and comment below which is so helpful for other readers wanting to try the recipe. 👇🏼

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IF YOU LIKED THAT…

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Vegan Victoria Sponge Cake — Vegan Victoria Sponge

Vegan Banana Muffins — Vegan Victoria Sponge

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Ultimate Vegan Coffee & Walnut Cake

Kate Ford | The Veg Space

This decadent triple-layer vegan Coffee & Walnut Cake is easy to make, and a real showstopper. Light and nutty sponge layers filled with fluffy coffee buttercream.

4.78 from 22 votes

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Prep Time 40 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Cake

Cuisine British

Servings people

Calories 626 kcal

Ingredients

For the Cake:

6 tbsp instant coffee (mixed with 3 tbsp boiling water)
600 g self-raising flour
360 g caster sugar
3 tsp baking powder
600 ml soya milk
240 ml rapeseed oil (or other flavourless oil)
200 g walnuts (use two thirds chopped in the cake batter, and the remaining one third finely chopped for decoration)

For the Buttercream:

3 tbsp instant coffee (mixed with 1 1/2 tbsp boiling water)
250 g dairy-free margarine (at room temperature)
640 g icing sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp dairy-free single cream (soya or oat)

Instructions

For the Cake:

Mix the instant coffee and boiling water to a paste and leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (fan) / 350ºF / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line three 23cm / 9 inch cake tins with a circle of baking parchment or greaseproof paper, (slightly smaller or larger tins will be fine!). (If you only have two tins, you could either make two larger layers, or bake two cakes first then clean and re-line one of the tins to bake the third).
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, caster sugar and baking powder). In a jug, mix the wet ingredients (milk, oil and cooled coffee mixture), then add these to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, then bang the bowl on the work surface to stop the raising agents getting to work too soon.
Stir in the chopped walnuts, then divide the mixture evenly between the three tins. Tap each tin firmly on the work surface, then bake for 18-22 minutes until an inserted skewer or knife comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack, remove the baking parchment and leave to cool completely. Ideally, it is best to leave the fully cooled cakes in an airtight tin or container overnight, to layer with buttercream the following day, (this helps the cakes to soften and stops a crust forming), but if you don’t have time, just make sure they are completely cool throughout before starting to layer and decorate them.

For the Buttercream:

Mix the instant coffee and boiling water to a paste and leave to cool.
In a food mixer or large bowl with electric whisk/mixer, mix the margarine and icing sugar until fully combined, then add the coffee mixture, salt and cream, and whisk until light and fluffy.
Roughly divide the buttercream into four in the bowl, and spread a quarter over the bottom layer of the cake. Place the middle layer on top, then spread another quarter over it. Finally, put the top layer in place and spread all the remaining buttercream over the top. Finish with the remaining chopped walnuts.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 626kcalCarbohydrates: 97.3gProtein: 8.6gFat: 23.2gSaturated Fat: 1.6gSodium: 98mgPotassium: 251mgFiber: 3.7gSugar: 63.5gCalcium: 64mgIron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

.I’m linking this recipe with CookBlogShare hosted this week by Hijacked by Twins.