Photograph of Coffee and Roast Pecan Cake with Coffee Buttercream Icing
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Coffee and Roast Pecan Nut Sponge Cake with Coffee Buttercream Icing

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Light and fluffy, melt in the mouth Coffee and Roast Pecan Cake with a deliciously smooth and sweet buttercream icing enhanced by a slight kick of salt. If I ask Emma to choose her favourite cake she invariably asks for this one. She doesn’t drink coffee but adores the flavour, particularly in a light and airy sponge combined with roast pecans, which add a depth of flavour and texture to this traditional English teatime treat. Ironically, I always drink a hot cup of tea with coffee cake – rather than coffee – it is the perfect accompaniment!

How to make Coffee and Pecan Cake

This recipe is delicious in its simplicity: 

  • make the Classic Sponge – Core Recipe, adding some coffee and ground roast pecans. (For more guidance on making the sponge, please refer back to this Core recipe here.)
  • make a batch of classic buttercream – butter, icing sugar, coffee, salt and if necessary a drop of milk
  • sandwich the cakes with the buttercream 
  • decorate with roast pecan halves

Coffee and Pecan Cake

Quick, easy and all made in one bowl. Collect all your ingredients for the cake together:

  • unsalted butter
  • soft brown sugar
  • salt
  • eggs
  • plain flour
  • ground roast pecans
  • instant coffee mixing with boiling water
  • baking powder
  • milk

NB This cake is also delicious made with walnuts instead of pecan nuts. Simply replace the nuts and prepare in exactly the same way.

First roast the pecans or walnuts. Cook in a preheated oven for 10 minutes, giving them a good stir after 5 minutes. Remove 8 unbroken halves to decorate the cake and tip the remainder into a food processor and pulse until they they resemble fine bread crumbs or ground almonds. Be careful not to over process or they will turn into pecan nut butter.

Roasting the nuts enhances and deepens their flavour, improves their texture and makes them more crispy. Not all recipes ask you to roast them before adding to the cake, but it really is worth the little extra effort.

Secondly, mix the instant coffee with the boiling water and set on one side to cool down.

Now make the cake: it is important to make sure the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat easily with the other ingredients. I place my mixing bowl on top my scales and weigh everything directly into the bowl. Ideally, you should sieve the flour, although I confess I don’t always do this! The best way to do it though is to place the sieve on top of the bowl, zero the scales, weigh in the flour and then shake the sieve. Use an electric whisk to beat until combined. All done.

How to make Coffee Buttercream Icing

Collect all your ingredients for the cake together:

  • unsalted butter
  • icing sugar
  • instant coffee mixed with boiling water
  • fine salt
  • 8 roast pecan halves

It is important to make sure the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat easily with the icing sugar, coffee and salt. You need to whisk the buttercream but I add the icing sugar in two halves, folding it in with a spatula before whisking. This will avoid a cloud of icing sugar over the kitchen and a long and boring clean up! Sandwich the two cakes together with the buttercream, cover the top and decorate with pecan halves

We like rather a lot of buttercream in the cake but not everyone likes as much as we do. If you want to reduce the amount of buttercream, you can simply halve it and use it for the middle of the cake only. Or reduce the quantities by roughly one third, if you would like it on the top as well. Suggested alternative quantities are in Recipe Notes below the recipe.

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Photograph of Coffee and Roast Pecan Cake with Coffee Buttercream Icing
5 from 4 votes
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Coffee and Roast Pecan Cake with Coffee Buttercream Icing

Light and fluffy, melt in the mouth Coffee and Pecan Cake with a deliciously smooth and sweet coffee buttercream icing enhanced by a slight kick of salt. If I ask Emma to choose her favourite cake she invariably asks for this one. Combined with roasted pecans, which add a depth of flavour and texture, this is the perfect traditional English teatime treat. Ironically I always drink a hot cup of tea with coffee cake – rather than coffee – it is the perfect accompaniment!

Course afternoon tea, Any time of the day!, Morning Coffee
Cuisine British
Keyword coffee, pecan, sponge cake
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 8
Author Susan

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 50g pecan nuts plus 8 unbroken halves for decoration
  • 4 teaspoons instant coffee mixed with 4 teaspoons boiling water
  • 130g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 130g soft brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon milk
  • 130g plain/all-purpose flour, sieved
  • 1¼ teaspoons baking powder

For the coffee buttercream and topping: (Please see Recipe Notes for reduced quantity suggestions)

  • 4 teaspoons instant coffee mixed with 3 teaspoons boiling water
  • 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • 250g icing sugar, sieved

Instructions

For the cake:

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to Fan Oven 160°C/180°C/350°F/Gas 4

  3. Tip all the pecan nuts (ie the 50g plus 8 complete halves) on to a baking tray and cook in the centre of the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes, giving them a stir after 5 minutes.

  4. Transfer to a plate or dish and remove 8 complete halves to decorate the top of the cake. Tip the rest into a food processor and blitz until they look like breadcrumbs. Be careful not to over-process or they may turn into pecan nut butter.

  5. Mix the coffee with the boiling water and set aside to cool.

  6. Grease and line your 2 x 18cms/7 inch cake tins or insert cake tin liners.

  7. Weigh the butter into a mixing bowl and ensure the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat. If not, soften it slightly in the microwave. (Be very careful not to melt it though – just do 5 seconds at a time if you are unsure.)

  8. Add the sugar, salt, eggs, milk, cold coffee and ground pecan nuts to the butter. Put the mixing bowl on the scales, balance the sieve on the bowl and zero the scales.

  9. Weigh the flour and baking powder directly onto the sieve. Lift the sieve above the bowl and shake the sieve. You may need to use a spoon to press any remaining lumps of flour or baking powder through.

  10. Whisk thoroughly with an electric whisk until just combined. This should take around 40 seconds to 1 minute and no more.

  11. Transfer to the prepared cake tins (see Recipe Notes) and cook in the centre of the oven for 23 – 27 minutes or until the sponge is cooked. It is cooked when:

    – the centre feels springy when lightly touched with your finger and no imprint remains

    – a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean

    – the cake is beginning to come away from the sides of the tin.

  12. Take out of the oven and leave for 5 minutes. Remove the cakes from the tins onto a cooling rack. Leave to cool.

For the coffee buttercream icing and topping:

  1. Mix the coffee with the boiling water and set aside to cool.

  2. Weigh the butter into a mixing bowl and ensure the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat. If not soften it slightly in the microwave. (Be very careful not to melt it though – just do 5 seconds at a time if you are unsure.)

  3. Add the salt and whisk the butter until light and fluffy. Put the mixing bowl on the scales, balance the sieve on the bowl and zero the scales. Weigh in half the icing sugar and sieve. Quickly fold in with a spoon (this is to stop the icing sugar clouding up and making a mess of your kitchen!) Whisk until light and fluffy.

  4. Repeat with the remaining icing sugar and whisk again.

  5. Thoroughly mix in ¾ of the cold coffee. Taste to see if you want to add the remaining coffee. If necessary, add some extra milk – although you may not need to.

Assemble the cake:

  1. Turn one of the cakes up side down and place in the centre of a serving plate so the flat side faces up.

  2. Spread roughly ½ of the buttercream over the cake ensuring you spread it to the edges.

  3. Place the second cake on top, flat side down.

  4. Use the remaining buttercream to spread over the top of the cake. Use your knife to make a decorative pattern and place the 8 pecan halves around the edge.

Recipe Notes

Equipment

  • 2 x 18cms/7inch round cake tins, greased and lined with baking parchment or a cake tin liner
  • kitchen scales and measuring spoons
  • mixing bowl
  • electric whisk
  • baking dish/cake tins
  • food processor
  • sieve
  • cooling rack

Balancing the cake tins:

  • It is important that both tins have as equal amount of batter as possible. You can do it by eye but this is a really simple way to be accurate. To do this, I:
  • put a cake tin on the scales and zero the scales
  • add half the batter – it should weigh between 270g – 280g. Take off the scales
  • place the second empty tin on the scales and press to ensure it has gone back to zero 
  • add the remaining batter and check it is the same weight. If not adjust. 

For a larger cake, use 3 eggs and 2 x 8 inch cake tins:

  • 75g pecan nuts
  • 6 teaspoons instant coffee mixed with 6 teaspoons boiling water
  • 195g unsalted butter
  • 195g soft brown  sugar
  • ¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk 
  • 195g plain/all-purpose flour
  •  1¾  plus ⅛ teaspoon baking powder

Alternative Buttercream Quantities:

The amount of buttercream people like in cakes varies greatly. The quantities of buttercream in this recipe allows for a very generous amount of frosting. If you would prefer less, see alternative quantities below. 

Centre of cake only:-

  • 2 teaspoons instant coffee mixed with  1½ teaspoons boiling water
  • 65g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
  • 130g icing sugar

Top and centre of cake, but less than the recipe:-

  • 3 teaspoons instant coffee mixed with 2¼ teaspoons boiling water
  • 95g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • heaped ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
  • 19og icing sugar

8 Comments

  • Emma

    5 stars
    I have always loved coffee cake and this is my favourite recipe ever- and I have tried a few.
    The texture is gorgeous and fluffy and it takes no time at all.
    Some people use cream cheese icing instead but personally I WAY prefer this lovely buttercream. Also so many recipes use too little coffee but this gets it just right!
    It is so yummy that you have to be careful around your family otherwise they will try to steal it from you- my mum nearly took half my piece in one bite…
    Make sure to roast the pecans- it makes them taste so much better, I’m not a pecan fan normally but it improves a coffee cake to no end.
    I will definitely be making it again

  • Kate Castree

    5 stars
    My coffee and walnut cake recipe is very similar (except that I use lb/oz as I can’t cope with metric). Susan’s recipe uses more coffee which does give a nice depth of flavour. The roasted pecans are a tasty variation on walnuts. I am interested as to why you use plain flour instead of self-raising as I always use SR with a little baking powder. Love the salt in the icing!

    • Susan

      So glad you like this Kate. I also make it with walnuts instead or pecans and I roast those too. I grew up using SR flour rather than plain and, to be honest, only changed since starting this blog. The raising agent in SR flour varies between countries – I therefore use plain flour and baking powder or, in other recipes bicarbonate of soda as well, so that it is standard wherever you are cooking.
      I agree about the salt in the icing – we love it too! Thank you so much for your comments. Susan X🌼

  • Fran

    5 stars
    Love this recipe. Just the right amount of coffee, tasty but not too strong.
    Quantity of buttercream was a bit too much for us, but there’s some in the freezer for next time!
    Yummy!!

    • Susan

      Thank you Fran. So glad you like it and thank you for the feedback. There is a generous amount of buttercream but that’s how the girls like it in this house – sometimes I scrape a bit off! I’ll make a note on the recipe so people are aware. Susan 🌼

  • Odile

    5 stars
    This is very tasty and very easy to make. I agree with Fran about the quantity of buttercream. I also find it rather too sweet, even though I used only three quarters of the icing sugar. Quantity of coffee is just right and roasting the pecans does enhance their taste. Well worth doing.

    • Susan

      Thank you so much for your feedback. I am so pleased you enjoyed the cake. I will definitely add a comment about the amount of buttercream, offering an alternative quantity. Best wishes Susan 💛🌼

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