This easy coffee and walnut loaf cake is packed with freshly brewed coffee, cinnamon and crunchy walnuts and topped with a dairy-free coffee buttercream, making it the perfect classic cake recipe for morning or afternoon tea.
A while ago I was reading an article on another blog (I don’t remember which) where they were talking about cooking classic recipes from an old Women’s Weekly cookbook and mentioned a classic English coffee walnut cake that sounded so incredible, I knew I needed to make it. I immediately tried to search for the recipe online, but without much luck I decided to try and create what I imagined it to be myself.
Tthe result is the perfect slice of cake for morning or afternoon tea, best enjoyed eaten with a fork while enjoying a hot cup of tea or coffee.
This loaf cake is soft, with chopped walnuts in every other bite. It’s got hints of coffee without being too strong and it’s got warmth from cinnamon bringing it all together. Every time I make it I’m reminded that this English classic is one of my all time favourite cake flavours.
Women’s Weekly recipes are a staple in many Australian homes. Some of my favourite memories of my childhood are sitting and playing with my pink tea set, watching while my Grandmother took a break from the chores and cooking to read her Women’s Weekly magazine. It was a touch of glamour in her everyday routine.
What I love about Women’s Weekly is the legacy that they have provided in Australian kitchens. Like many people my age, my childhood birthdays were signalled by the excitement of choosing a cake from the Women’s Weekly book, you know the one with the train cake on the cover?
For me, the joy and excitement that comes from baking stems from these memories that Women’s Weekly had a little hand in, and all of that leads into this recipe today, my version of this traditional cake. That and the fact that when I was young my mum used to put coffee icing on everything and that was amazing.
This coffee walnut loaf is the perfect cake for all occasions, birthday’s, Mother’s Day, or taking in for a work morning tea or weekend BBQ.
Key Ingredients
To make this coffee and walnut cake you’ll need a few pantry staple ingredients.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Plain flour – known as all purpose flour in the US.
- Baking powder – to give the cake lift and keep it nice and light.
- Cinnamon – pairs perfectly with the coffee flavour.
- Canola oil – to keep the crumb soft and tender.
- White sugar – for sweetness.
- Eggs – room temperature, to bind and help the cake stay soft and light.
- Dairy free milk – such as almond, oat or soy.
- Strongly brewed coffee – to add flavour to the cake and the icing. You could also use instant coffee dissolved in boiling water.
- Walnuts – roast them for 10 minutes before adding to the cake for the best flavour. Make sure to roast some extra for decorating!
You’ll also need some dairy free butter, icing sugar and more coffee to make a simple frosting to serve with the cake.
Step-By-Step Instructions
This coffee and walnut loaf is super quick and easy to make. You’ll need a couple of bowls and a 8 x 4 inch loaf pan.
Start by lining and greasing the loaf tin, making sure to leave a slight overhang of the baking paper to make it really easy to remove the cake from the pan.
In your first bowl, add all of the dry ingredients and whisk to combine and aerate. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar followed by the eggs.
Once well combined, add in the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the coffee and milk until a thick batter forms. Mix until just combined then stop – you don’t want to overmix your cake batter as this will result in a dense cake.
Gently fold through your walnuts that have been roasted, cooled and chopped before pouring the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
This cake is going to cook for a longer time at a lower temperature, so place the cake in a preheated oven at 160°C for 50 minutes or until a skewer when inserted comes out clean. If your cake is starting to get a bit dark on the top but it’s still not cooked all the way through, lightly cover the top with aluminium foil and continue baking.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cake is cooling you can make your frosting by beating together the dairy free butter and icing sugar with a couple of tablespoons of coffee.
The quantity in the recipe makes enough for a light covering which is perfect for those who aren’t big fans of sweet buttercream frosting as it’s just enough to balance the flavour of the cake. But if you want a more generous amount, simply double the quantities.
Top with more chopped roasted walnuts and then slice and serve!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, this is one of my favourite cakes to freeze as doing so doesn’t alter the flavour or texture at all.
You can either make the cake ahead of time and freeze it as a full loaf either frosted or unfrosted, or you can freeze the individual slices for when you need a morning or afternoon treat.
Simply wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and then freeze for up to 3 months.
I haven’t tried myself but if I were to I’d expect a 1-1 gluten free flour blend to work with similar results.
This loaf cake recipe is dairy free as written. I haven’t tried myself but you could try replacing the eggs with flax-eggs to make it vegan.
This cake will last 3 days in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. It will last a little longer in the fridge but after this time the cake will start to get dry. If you want to store it for longer, following the freezing instructions above.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More loaf cake recipes:
Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Pistachio Cardamom and Lemon Loaf Cake
Orange Pound Cake
Vegan Gingerbread Loaf with Orange Glaze
Coffee & Walnut Loaf Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups plain flour/all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 cup white sugar/granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup dairy free milk such as almond, oat or soy
- ¼ cup strongly brewed coffee
- ½ cup walnuts roasted and chopped
Coffee Icing
- ½ – 1 tablespoon dairy free butter
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons strongly brewed coffee
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160°C and grease and line a 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with baking paper.
- In a medium bowl add flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Use a whisk to combine until evenly mixed through. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add oil and sugar and whisk together. Add in eggs and continue whisking until all combined. Slowly add in dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the coffee and milk, mixing in between each until the batter comes together. It will be quite thick. Fold through walnuts with a spatula and pour mixture into the lined and greased pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer when inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the coffee icing. Add the butter and icing sugar to a bowl and begin to beat with an electric handheld mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment fitted. Slowly add the coffee ½ a tablespoon at a time until your desired consistency is reached, being careful not to make it too thin. If that happens, just add more icing sugar to thicken.
- Spread icing over the top of the cooled cake and top with more crushed walnuts if desired. Slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
ar says
I can’t make the icing the sugar is grainy wont mix and the glaze looks yellow from the butter? the cake turned out darker and it is dense is that correct
Sally says
Being a loaf cake, it is on the denser side. If it’s a bit dark then you may have needed to cover it with foil to finish baking, but yes it can get quite brown. In terms of the icing, it’s hard to troubleshoot without seeing it. Different brands of dairy free butter may behave differently so you may need to adjust and add a little more icing sugar to get it the right consistency.
JANE says
TRIED THE WOMENS WEEKLY COFFEE WALNUT LOAF AND IT THE TEXTURE WAS DRY AND TASTED VERY ORDINARY – WOULD NOT MAKE AGAIN
SO I THOUGHT I’D GIVE YOUR RECIPE A TRY AS YOU USE OIL SO HOPEFULLY THAT WILL MAKE IT MORE MOIST. JUST A QUESTION CAN I USE ORDINGARY FULL CREAM MILK & STRONG INSTANT COFFEE?
Sally says
Hi Jane, I haven’t used full cream milk but I believe it should work the same in this recipe. Strong instant coffee will be fine as well. Let me know how you go!
Anne Knights says
This is as close as I can come to a recipe that I had years ago. It was a Pillsbury Bake-off winner, had a dozen separated eggs in it, kids loved it somehow, I’ve lost it. But this is close, thank you.
Sally says
Oh I hate when you lose a family favourite recipe! But glad that you enjoy this cake 🙂
Noreen says
160 temperature seems low?? Should it be 350, confused?
Sally says
Hi Noreen, 160 Celsius is the correct temperature. If you are in the US then yes you will need to convert the temperature to Fahrenheit. Thanks!
Mayuri Patel says
Hi Sally I tried out this cake and it turned out really good, so soft and flavorful. I replaced the plain with wheat flour, used normal dairy butter and replaced the sugar with brown sugar. Soft crumb, literally melt in the mouth kind. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Sally says
Thank you so much for sharing Mayuri – so glad you loved the cake!
Sarah says
I was searching for coffee and walnut loaf and found this: https://www.womensweeklyfood.com.au/recipes/coffee-walnut-loaf-14153
Is that similar to the original recipe you were looking for? Either way, I’ll be trying your recipe!
Sally says
Thanks Sarah! I think this is still a little different to the one I saw, but still looks yum!
sheenam | thetwincookingproject says
Oh this look sooo sinful!!! YUM
Sally says
One of my favs!
Marcellina says
Women’s weekly recipes were so much part of my life. That’s how I learnt to cook. And I’m sure I made a similar recipe. Coffee and walnut is just perfect and yes, coffee icing is the best. Love your photos.
Sally says
Thanks Marcellina! I think it’s incredible how they shaped so many Aussie kitchens 🙂 I would love to find the book with the original coffee & walnut cake recipe!
Adrianne says
Yum Sally ,coffee and walnut is such a delicious combination!! This loaf cafe sounds delicious. I would love a big right now with a pot of tea!
Sally says
Thanks so much! It is the perfect accompaniment to a cuppa 🙂