Lisa's World: Mary Berry special: Coffee and walnut butterfly cakes

Monday, 17 December 2018

Coffee and walnut butterfly cakes

MAKES 12

2 tsp instant coffee granules
115g (4oz) butter (room temperature) or baking spread (at least 70 per cent fat)
115g (4oz) caster sugar
115g (4oz) self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
45g (1½ oz) walnut halves, finely chopped

FOR THE ICING

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas 4). Line each hollow of the bun tin with a paper case. Stir the coffee with
teaspoons of hot water in a small bowl until the granules have dissolved. Set aside to cool.
2 Place the butter, caster sugar, flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the eggs and the cooled coffee mixture and beat well using an electric hand whisk or a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the walnuts. Divide the mixture equally among the paper bun cases. (See below, Light, all-in-one mixture.) Bake for 15-20 minutes or until well risen and firm on top. Remove the cakes from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Make the icing: stir the coffee and 2 teaspoons of hot water in a small bowl until the granules have dissolved, then leave to cool. Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl, add the butter and the coffee mixture and beat using an electric hand whisk or a wooden spoon until smooth and well blended. (See below, Smooth, swirled icing, step 1.)
Cut a circle out of the top of each cake and cut each circle in half. Set aside. Spoon the icing into the piping bag fitted with the nozzle and pipe the icing into the centre of each cake. (See opposite, Smooth, swirled icing, steps 2-4.)
Place the reserved semicircles on top of each cake to represent butterfly wings. Sit a walnut quarter between the wings and dust with icing sugar.

Light, all-in-one mixture

Because everything is beaten together, the butter must be soft enough to blend in easily, so leave it out of the fridge for 2-3 hours, or overnight, before using. Measure all the ingredients carefully and level off the teaspoon measure of baking powder with the back of a knife. If too much is added, it can make the cakes dry.
After adding the eggs and coffee mixture, beat using an electric hand whisk. Set it at a slow speed initially, then increase the speed once the flour has been absorbed. You can use a wooden spoon to beat the ingredients instead, but it will take a little longer (about 2 minutes with an electric whisk, or 3 minutes with a wooden spoon).
As you beat, keep turning the bowl around and scrape the sides with a flexible spatula to make sure that all the ingredients are beaten in evenly. The mixture will start to look paler, creamier and slightly glossy. It will also be soft enough to drop off the beaters when you lift them up.
Use a teaspoon and a round-bladed knife to transfer the mixture to the paper bun cases. Put the same amount of mixture into each case, so the cakes bake evenly and end up the same size.

Smooth, swirled icing

Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl in order to remove any lumps. This will give the icing a more even texture, which will make it easier to pipe. After the butter and coffee mixture have been mixed in, the finished icing should have a smooth, fluffy consistency.
Using a small, sharp knife, cut a circle from the top of each cake, about 5cm (2in) in diameter and 2.5cm (1in) deep. Cut it at an angle, so you end up with a cone-shaped hole that is large enough for you to pipe the icing into. Cut each circle in half to make butterfly wings to decorate the tops of the cakes.
Before filling the piping bag with icing, insert the nozzle and fold back the top of the bag so it doesn’t get messy as you fill. Carefully spoon the icing into the bag, twist the top tightly and press the bag lightly to get rid of any trapped air bubbles.
To pipe, hold the bag upright over the hole in the centre of each cake, then gently squeeze the top of the bag to pipe the icing in a steady stream, guiding the nozzle around the hole to make neat swirls. Repeat for the other cakes.

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