Walnut Coffee Cake with Maple Glaze

(Serves 8)

Ingredients Coffee Cake

• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• ¾ C walnut pieces, chopped
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground mixed spice
• 2½ C white flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• ¾ C olive spread or unsalted butter
• 2 C white sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 C sour cream or Greek yoghurt
• 1 tbsp instant coffee granules, passed through a fine sieve

Ingredients Maple Glaze

• ¼ C olive spread, melted
• 1 C icing sugar
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Spray the inside of a 20cm springform cake tin with oil.

In a small bowl mix the brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon and mixed spice together with your hands then set aside.

In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix together and set aside.

In another large bowl add the olive spread and sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Then add the eggs, a little at a time, and continue beating until the mixture doubles in volume. Beat in the sour cream and coffee granules until thoroughly mixed – beat for two or three minutes.

Gently fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture until smooth. Pour half the cake batter into the cake tin and level the top. Sprinkle the walnut mixture evenly over the batter, then pour the remaining mix on top.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until the cake springs back when touched. Cool on a rack then remove from the cake tin and place on a serving plate.

In a bowl, whisk all the maple glaze ingredients together until smooth. Allow the glaze to cool for a few minutes before drizzling over the cake.