Vegan Coffee Walnut Cake

Coffee, walnuts, and a hint of lemon –  is there a better combination? This vegan coffee and walnut cake topped with a smooth coffee cashew cream is so simple and delicious, you’ll want to make it every week. While the nuts give this cake a lovely crunch, the coffee makes it moist and super fluffy. 

Last week I had admitted that I totally fell out of love with baking. I don’t know why, but I didn’t enjoy experimenting with vegan baking recipes. But, good news, I became a new person! Ever since I tried this vegan coffee walnut cake, I’m all up for it again! One of the reasons I love this coffee cake recipe is that both the dough and the cream are absolutely jam-packed with coffee flavour. 

What kind of coffee can I use?

Instant coffee powder is an absolute must for this vegan coffee walnut cake. The powder is the easiest way to get all the flavour into the cake. Using freshly brewed coffee would mean that you need more liquid, which, in turn, would add too much moisture to the cake. 

Can I make the cake without nuts?

Sure thing! When making the dough, you can replace the walnuts with oatmeal or rolled oats. These will add great texture, taste and nutritional value to the cake. You can also brown the oats in a bit of vegan butter or margarine before adding them to your recipe. This will give them a nice, roasted flavour. 

Instead of making a cashew cream for the topping, try a simple vegan buttercream icing. Simply combine 210g icing sugar, 100g vegan butter, ¼ tsp salt and ½ tsp vanilla extract in a bowl and mix until well combined.

Can I use decaf coffee instead?

Yes, absolutely. You’ll achieve the same result, without the little caffeine rush!

Ingredients for this vegan coffee walnut cake:

Dry ingredients:

• 200g spelt flour or all-purpose white flour
• 110g walnuts, finely ground
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 150g brown sugar

Wet ingredients:

• 190ml almond milk
• 70ml instant coffee (use 3-4 tbsp coffee powder)
• 50ml coconut oil, melted
• Zest from 1/2 lemon

Other:

• Walnuts and coffee beans (optional) to decorate, chopped
• 2 tbsp vegan butter or margarine 

Ingredients for the coffee cashew cream:

• 100g cashews, soaked overnight
• 3-4 tbsp instant coffee (use ½ tbsp coffee powder, rest is water)
• 50ml almond or soy milk
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 190°C.

2. First, combine all dry ingredients in a big bowl and mix everything well.

3. Now add wet ingredients and fold them gently into the dry ingredients.

4. Grease a cake tin with vegan butter or vegetable oil. Pour in the batter – it should fill about ½ to ¾ of the tin. If it’s more than that the cake might not rise properly. 

5. Then bake for 40-45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

6. In the meantime, make the cream. Simply combine all ingredients in a bowl and blend with a hand blender. Then let it rest in the fridge for about 2 hours. You can also make the cream the day before and store it in the fridge overnight. 

7. Let the cake cool down completely. Then remove from the tin, spread cream on top and sprinkle with chopped walnuts, coffee beans (optional) and lemon zest. 

Looking for more vegan baking inspiration? Try our vegan marbled banana bread.