This Coffee and Walnut Loaf with coffee buttercream frosting is an easy recipe to bake. Perfect with a cup of coffee or tea, for brunch, or as a simple snack!
When it’s stormy and cold out, a slice of coffee cake with a cup of hot tea is the answer. When it’s warm and sunny, coffee cake with a tall iced coffee is the answer.
In other words, it’s always a good time for coffee cake!
Luckily, coffee cake comes in so many different flavors. We love them all!
Now, to clarify, coffee cake does not always contain coffee. It’s called coffee cake because it’s a cake that is made to enjoy with a cup of coffee.
Like this Banana Crumb Coffee Cake recipe. Readers love it, and we’ve personally been making it at least once a month for our family for over a decade. It does NOT contain any coffee.
We also really love making Irish Coffee Cake. And when we’re in the mood for a layer cake, we make Chocolate Coffee Cake, which does contain coffee (it’s perfect for java lovers!).
The same goes for our latest coffee cake obsession: Coffee and Walnut Loaf.
Why you’ll love this recipe!
The first bite my daughter took out of this coffee walnut cake, her eyes got really wide and she declared how good it was. It has grown to become one of our favorite cakes!
- Flavor: This moist cake features rich coffee flavor and a delicious crunch from the walnuts. Then the coffee buttercream frosting adds some sweetness and takes it to the next level.
- Easy: This is a simple recipe to follow, making it a great recipe for even beginning bakers. I’ve included a step-by-step photo guide below to help you as you bake this cake.
- Simple ingredients: you can find all of the ingredients to make this walnut and coffee loaf at your local grocery store.
🛒 Ingredient notes
The batter for this coffee walnut cake recipe comes together quickly with some simple ingredients.
- Flour – I use all-purpose flour for this cake. If you do use a different flour, you may need to make some alterations to the other ingredient measurements.
- Butter – Make sure the butter is at room temperature before you start making this cake.
- Eggs – Similar to the butter, make sure the eggs are at room temperature when you mix them into the batter. Room temperature eggs incorporate more smoothly into cake batter and create a smoother batter.
- Brown sugar – When measuring brown sugar, pack the sugar down into the measuring cup for an accurate measurement.
- Walnuts – You’ll be using walnuts both in the cake batter and on top of the cake. Chop up the walnuts that will be added to the batter, so that you don’t have any large pieces in the cake. To save time, you can buy walnut halves or chopped walnuts. And you can substitute pecans if you don’t have or don’t like walnuts.
- Instant coffee – use any medium-roast instant coffee or instant espresso powder that you like for this recipe.
- Baking powder – this is the leavening agent used in the recipe to help the cake rise.
- Salt – I use kosher salt for this loaf.
Optional: sometimes I like to add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the cake batter. This adds a rich bakery aroma and flavor to the cake.
For the frosting
To make the coffee buttercream frosting, you’ll need:
- Butter – again, this stick of butter needs to be softened to room temperature in order to create a smooth frosting.
- Powdered sugar – you may find you need a little more or a little less powdered sugar, depending on how thick you want the frosting.
- Instant coffee – Use the same instant coffee or instant espresso you did for the cake batter.
- Milk – You can use any milk or milk alternative that you like in the frosting recipe.
Step-by-step instructions
Full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here’s a step-by-step visual guide to help you bake this cake.
- Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl and using a hand mixer), cream the butter for 1 minute. Then add the brown sugar and cream together for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Pour in the coffee and mix.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in-between.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then fold in half of the walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts on top.
- Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, make the frosting.
Make the frosting
- Wash and dry the stand mixer and paddle attachment.
- Cream the softened unsalted butter and the powdered sugar.
Assemble the cake
- When the cake is done baking, let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cake is cool, apply the coffee frosting. Top with additional chopped walnuts, if desired. Serve immediately.
Marlynn’s Tip
Recipe Tip
Be sure to let the cake cool completely before frosting it. Otherwise the frosting may melt and run over the sides of the loaf.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
It’s important not to over-mix the cake batter in order to have a fluffy, moist coffee cake. If a cake ends up being dense and not fluffy, it’s often because it was over-worked. Just mix the ingredients until they are incorporated.
If you want thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar. Start by adding just about 2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar at a time until the frosting reaches your preferred consistency. If you want thinner frosting, add more milk.
Yes. First let the cake cool. Then wrap the unfrosted cake in plastic wrap and store it in a freezer bag or freezer-friendly container. It should keep for up to one month. When you’re ready to enjoy it, simply make the frosting and apply it to the thawed out cake.
🍽 Serving ideas
Enjoy a slice of this loaf with an afternoon tea or cup of joe. Or double-down on the coffee flavor and have it with a coffee milkshake!
It’s also perfect to serve for brunch next to a Brunch Board.
More coffee cake and loaf recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
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Coffee and Walnut Loaf
Equipment
- 1 Loaf Pan
Ingredients
For the cake loaf
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 1-2 teaspoons warm water (use just enough to dissolve the coffee granules)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup finely chopped walnuts
For the frosting
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1-1½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 1 Tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 1-2 teaspoons warm water (use just enough to dissolve the coffee granules)
- optional: additional chopped walnuts for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl and using a hand mixer), cream the butter for 1 minute. Then add the brown sugar and cream together for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Pour in the coffee and mix.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in-between.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then fold in half of the walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts on top.
- Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking, make the frosting.
Make the frosting
- Wash and dry the stand mixer and paddle attachment. Then cream the butter for 2 minutes, then add the powdered sugar and cream together for 2 minutes.
- Add the milk and the dissolved instant coffee, then blend until smooth and creamy.
- If you want thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar. If you want thinner frosting, add more milk.
Assemble the cake
- When the cake is done baking, let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cake is cool, frost with the coffee frosting. Top with additional chopped walnuts, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
