Coffee & Walnut Loaf
This Vegan Coffee & Walnut Loaf is a dream for coffee lovers! The rich coffee-flavoured sponge is soft, moist, and easy to make, with an optional crunch of walnuts baked right in. It’s topped with a creamy coffee buttercream that’s perfectly smooth and sweet. Finished with a scattering of walnuts for texture and flavour, it’s the ideal bake for your next tea break.
The Cake
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease a 9 inch loaf tin with butter or oil then line the base with parchment paper.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, oil, coffee extract and vanilla extract and whisk until well combined.
Gradually add the milk and flour mixture to the batter in 2-3 parts, whisking gently after each addition. If adding walnuts, fold in to the batter at this stage. This helps everything combine smoothly. Be careful not to overmix—whisk just until no streaks of flour remain. Over mixing can lead to a dense sponge, and we want it to stay light and fluffy!
Pour the batter in the tin and bake for 45 minutes. If you’re unsure if the sponge is cooked, poke a cake skewer or knife into the sponge, and it should come out clean.
Let the loaf cool in the tin for about 10 minutes—this helps it firm up slightly, making it easier to handle. Carefully remove it from the tin and transfer it to a cooling rack. Make sure the loaf is completely cooled before decorating to avoid the buttercream melting.
Coffee Buttercream
In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter, whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. A hand mixer will work great, too.
Sift in the icing sugar. Beat the mixture on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes until it’s fully incorporated. Then, add the plant milk the coffee extract then continue beating until everything is smooth, creamy, and light. The goal is a buttercream that's silky and airy, perfect for spreading or piping!
Assembly
Place one of the cakes on a cake board or serving plate. Fill a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle (S7) and pipe the buttercream in an up-and-down motion over the cake. If you don’t have a piping bag, no worries—simply use an offset spatula to spread the buttercream evenly. Finish by sprinkling with crushed walnuts for that perfect crunch!
Chef Tips
Clean up as you go along. One major thing I learnt as a Patisserie student at culinary school is to clean up as you go along. Not only is there less washing up to do at the end but ensure you have all your ingredients ready for the next part.
Don’t overmix the batter. As soon as there are no visible streaks of the dry ingredients, STOP. This will help ensure your cake comes out light and fluffy.
Prepare your loaf pan. Lightly grease an 9 inch tin with some oil or vegan butter and place parchment paper inside it. The butter helps the parchment to stay in place and the parchment helps you to easily lift the cake out once baked.
This Vegan Coffee & WalnutLoaf is a dream for coffee lovers! The rich coffee-flavoured sponge is soft, moist, and easy to make, with an optional crunch of walnuts baked right in. It’s topped with a creamy coffee buttercream that’s perfectly smooth and sweet. Finished with a scattering of walnuts for texture and flavour, it’s the ideal bake for your next tea break.
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 215 g caster Sugar
- 100 ml sunflower oil
- 2 tbsp coffee extract
- 300 ml oat milk (can also use soy)
- 350 g Plain Flour
- 15 g Baking Powder
- 50 g chopped walnuts (optional)
- 100 g plant block butter (room temperature)
- 200 g Icing Sugar (Sieved)
- 1 tbsp coffee extract
- 1 tbsp oat milk (can use soy)
- handful crushed walnuts (to decorate)
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease a 9 inch loaf tin with butter or oil then line the base with parchment paper.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, oil, coffee extract and vanilla extract and whisk until well combined.
Gradually add the milk and flour mixture to the batter in 2-3 parts, whisking gently after each addition. If adding walnuts, fold in to the batter at this stage. This helps everything combine smoothly. Be careful not to overmix—whisk just until no streaks of flour remain. Over mixing can lead to a dense sponge, and we want it to stay light and fluffy!
Pour the batter in the tin and bake for 45 minutes. If you’re unsure if the sponge is cooked, poke a cake skewer or knife into the sponge, and it should come out clean.
Let the loaf cool in the tin for about 10 minutes—this helps it firm up slightly, making it easier to handle. Carefully remove it from the tin and transfer it to a cooling rack. Make sure the loaf is completely cooled before decorating to avoid the buttercream melting.
In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter, whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. A hand mixer will work great, too.
Sift in the icing sugar. Beat the mixture on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes until it’s fully incorporated. Then, add the plant milk the coffee extract then continue beating until everything is smooth, creamy, and light. The goal is a buttercream that's silky and airy, perfect for spreading or piping!
Place one of the cakes on a cake board or serving plate. Fill a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle (S7) and pipe the buttercream in an up-and-down motion over the cake. If you don’t have a piping bag, no worries—simply use an offset spatula to spread the buttercream evenly. Finish by sprinkling with crushed walnuts for that perfect crunch!