Espresso and walnut loaf cake recipe For the cake 200ml (7fl oz) very strong coffee, preferably espresso 150g (5½oz) soft light-brown sugar 225g (8oz) butter 225g (8oz) golden syrup 2 tsp coffee essence 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 240g (8½oz) plain flour 100g (3½oz) malted brown flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 75g (2¾oz) roughly chopped walnuts Put the coffee in a pan and add the sugar, butter and syrup. Heat gently, without boiling, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour into a jug and leave to cool. Whisk in the coffee essence and eggs. Sift the flours with a pinch of salt and the bicarbonate of soda, then add the bran back to the bowl with the flours. Toss in the walnuts. Make a well in the centre and slowly pour in the wet mixture, stirring the flour in gradually with a wooden spoon. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in an oven preheated to 170°C/340°F/gas mark 3½. Bake for an hour and a quarter. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then run a fine knife between cake and tin. Turn out on to a wire rack, peel off the paper and turn the right way up. Dissolve the espresso powder in 2 tbsp boiling water and leave to cool. Put the butter in a pan and melt it. Turn up the heat and cook until it has just turned brown and nutty, but is not burnt. Remove and leave to cool a bit. Put the butter into a mixer with the icing sugar and beat together. Gradually add the cooled coffee. You should end up with a smooth mixture. Scrape into a bowl, cover and put in the fridge to firm up a bit. Using a palette knife, spread the icing over the top of the cake. As it's a tea cake fancy embellishments are not appropriate (I resisted topping it with chocolate-covered coffee beans) but a scattering of toasted chopped walnuts would be good.