Samuel James Events Recipe: Fudgy Walnut Cake

We love this cake. Sweet, creamy, delicious and totally moreish – it won’t last long, trust us!

Ingredients

For the sponge:

75g Walnuts

225g Butter, plus a little extra for greasing

225g Light Brown Muscovado Sugar

4 Large Eggs

225g Self-Raising Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

For the icing:

150g Butter

150g Icing Sugar

250g Fudge

25g Walnut Halves

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C, then butter two 20cm spring-form cake tins and line with baking parchment.

Put the walnuts in a food processor and pulse down to a manageable size, then tip the nuts into a bowl.

Put the butter, brown sugar, eggs, flour and baking powder into the food processor and blend on the pulse setting until well combined.

Add the chopped nuts to the batter and mix until combined. Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 25 minutes, or until well risen and just beginning to shrink back from the sides of the tin.

Remove the tins from the oven and leave to cool for five minutes before running a knife around the edge of each cake and turning out onto a wire rack. Peel off the baking parchment and leave to cool completely.

To make the icing, put the butter in a food processor, add the icing sugar and 150g/5½oz of the chopped fudge. Blend until the icing is smooth and creamy. Add an extra 2-3 teaspoons of milk if necessary, so that the icing is light and spreadable.

Place one of the sponges onto a plate or cake stand and spread with half of the fudgy icing. Top with the second sponge and spread with the remaining icing.

Decorate with the walnut halves and chopped fudge.

Serve with a cup of Earl Grey and a few dainty sandwiches for an idyllic round of afternoon tea.