Coffee and walnut are a match made in heaven, they make the tastiest cake by far and anyone who says otherwise is just lying! On a serious note, there's just something about a sweet coffee sponge with crunchy walnuts and a creamy frosting that I just can't get enough of. Naturally, I decided to combine my favourite cake with the classic banana bread because, well, nothing bad ever came of banana bread, it's really blooming delicious and the addition of coffee and walnut make it just that little bit more luxurious! As always, my banana bread is oil and refined sugar free so you can enjoy the decadence of a coffee and walnut cake under the guise of a healthy snack, what more could you want?!
For the loaf you will need:
- 3 ripe bananas
- 2.5 tablespoons coffee
- 2 tablespoons cashew butter
- 125g self-raising flour
- 125g spelt flour
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 50g walnuts
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
For the frosting you will need:
- 2 tablespoons cashew butter
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons almond milk
- 4 walnuts
Start by lining a loaf tin with baking paper and preheating your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
In a large bowl combine your self-raising and spelt flours with coconut sugar and bicarbonate of soda.
Add 75ml boiling water to your coffee to form an espresso.
In a separate bowl, mash your bananas until smooth then, add the coffee and cashew butter, stirring well until totally combined.
Now combine your wet and dry ingredients, stirring well to ensure that there are no rogue flour lumps!
Finally, roughly chop your walnuts, add to the mixture then pour into your loaf tin. Place the loaf in the oven to bake for 35 minutes but cover with foil after 20 minutes to prevent burning.
Once cooked, remove from the tin and allow to cool for around half an hour before icing.
As the loaf cools, finely chop your walnuts and make your frosting by mixing your cashew butter, maple syrup and almond milk, stirring well until you've got a smooth, pouring consistency.
Once the loaf is cool, drizzle generously with icing and sprinkle with walnuts then you're ready to eat. I'd recommend popping the kettle on and serving with a mug of hot coffee because, hey, there's no such thing as too much coffee, right?!