Boozy coffee & walnut cake

• caster sugar↗200g g
• softened butter200g g
• eggs↗4

  beaten

• self-raising flour↗200g g
• 1 tsp baking powder↗ tsp
• walnut↗15

  halves

• heaped tbsp instant coffee2 tbsp

  dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water

• pot mascarpone500g g
• light muscovado sugar↗85g g
• 4 tbsp Tia Maria↗ tbsp
• a few toasted walnut

  halves, for decoration

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter two 20cm sandwich tins and line with non-stick baking paper. Toast the walnut halves in the oven for 10 mins. Reserve 10 and chop the rest. Dissolve the instant coffee in 1 tbsp of boiling water, cool and add the basic cake mix (see recipe for Classic Victoria sponge, right), instead of the milk.

2. 2

   For the filling, beat the mascarpone with the light muscovado sugar and Tia Maria until smooth. Sandwich the cooled cakes with a third of the filling and the chopped walnuts.

3. 3

   Cover the top and sides of the cake with the rest of the filling and decorate the top with the toasted walnut halves.