Look no further for an easy and delicious Gluten Free Coffee and Walnut Cake recipe!
When I co-hosted my first online Afternoon Tea Workshop, one of the recipes I demonstrated was Coffee and Walnut Cake. During the recipe testing phase before the class was held, I also made a gluten free version. I was so pleased with how it turned out! Gluten free cakes can be a challenge but this one is simple to make as well as very pleasing to eat.
The funny things is, when it came to appearance, I could barely tell the gluten free and gluten full cakes apart, especially as we photographed them on the same china. The flavour of the Gluten Free Coffee and Walnut Cake is also the same, however the (still very pleasing) texture is slightly different, as is often the case with gluten free recipes. I am as happy with this one as I am with my Gluten Free Old Fashioned Spice Cake – and that is saying something!
Why a Loaf Cake?
Coffee and Walnut Cakes are often served as layer cakes, iced and decorated with walnut halves in a similar way to my Old Fashioned Banana Cake recipe. However I have a soft spot for this loaf cake recipe as the glaze makes it slightly less rich than the iced or frosted version, lending to snacking as well as more formal serving options. Should you fancy a special treat, it’s also very nice for breakfast.
It’s also such a boon to be able to decorate this Gluten Free Coffee and Walnut Cake so easily. When it comes to cake decorating, I have never been that talented, but this cake makes me feel like a genius. Once the cake is fully cooled, just drizzle the cake with a bit of glaze, tumble a few chopped walnuts over top and finish with a bit more glaze. If you have time to let the first layer of glaze and walnuts set before you finish with the final bit of glaze, all the better. However, if time is short you can do the decorating all at once.
Does This Recipe Have To Be Gluten Free?
If you are able to eat gluten and would prefer to make this Gluten Free Coffee and Walnut Cake with all-purpose or plain flour, simply substitute 1⅓ cups (200 grams) all-purpose (plain) flour for the 1¼ cups gluten free flour blend and reduce the milk from ¼ cup to 2 tablespoons (30 ml).
Although I am the last person to suggest that Gluten Free Coffee and Walnut Cake is healthy, walnuts are definitely a healthy food. I find that comforting when I tuck into a second slice of this hard to resist cake!
How To Serve Coffee and Walnut Cake
This cake is lovely served on its own with a cup of tea or coffee or as part of Afternoon Tea, but it is equally nice served with a scoop of ice cream for dessert!
Gluten Free Coffee and Walnut Cake – Printable Recipe
Gluten Free Coffee and Walnut Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee
- 2 tablespoons boiling water, cooled a bit Or use 2 tablespoons of perked coffee or espresso in place of the instant coffee and boiling water
- ¾ cup butter, softened Plus extra for greasing the pan.
- ½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- ½ cup granulated or caster sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1¼ cups gluten-free flour blend I used Bob's Red Mill but any 1 to 1 gluten-free flour blend should be fine.
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup milk
- 1¼ cups chopped walnuts, divided
- For the Glaze
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons water You may not need it all, or you may need a bit more.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C (170°C for a fan oven).
- Stir the instant coffee and boiled water together in a small bowl. Set aside to cool a bit more. (You can use 2 tablespoons of perked coffee or espresso in place of the instant coffee and boiling water.)
- Grease a 2 pound (23cm x 12cm x 13 cm) loaf pan with a bit of the extra butter.
- Beat the butter, brown sugar and caster sugar in an electric mixer until thick and pale.
- Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition.
- Mix the gluten free flour and the baking powder together in a small bowl.
- With the mixer on low speed, use a large spoon to add the flour and baking powder to the mixture in the bowl of the electric mixer a bit at at time. When all the flour is added, blend throughly.
- Stir the millk into the instant coffee and add it to the batter, combining thoroughly.
- Add 1 cup (120 grams) of the chopped walnuts and blend into the batter. (Set aside the rest of the walnuts to use for decoration.)
- Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. It may take a little more time, depending on your oven.
- Remove the Gluten Free Coffee and Walnut Cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes, and then turn it out on a wire rack to cool completely.
- When the cake is completely cool, make the glaze. Put the icing sugar in a medium bowl. Add the water, a little at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition, until a drizzle-able consistency is reached. You may not need all the water, or you may need a tiny bit more.
- Drizzle about half the glaze over the cake. Set the remaining glaze aside.
- Sprinkle the remaining chopped walnuts over the top. If you have time, let the glaze and the walnuts set for about 30 minutes. However if time is short you can continue on with the next step.
- Drizzle the remaining glaze over the top. (Don't worry if you have some left over.) Let the glaze set and then serve.
Notes
did you make this recipe?
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More Teatime Recipes
Gluten Free Blackberry and Apple Scones
Comments & Reviews
Wowsers Thank You For This Posting, I had used the ingredients to make the Lovely Scones, Now On to the cake Realm…. I look forward to posting and showing the opportunity to go by Such Wonderful Inspirations.
A Fellow Chef!
Thank you so much, David!
Nice blog to follow while preparing recipes.Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Thank you!
Looks so good!
Thank you so much, Barbara!
Can you make it in a cake tin
You can, Elsie! I’m sorry, I haven’t made it in a cake tin so can’t recommend exact baking times for a cake tin though so go carefully. It may cook more quickly depending on the size of your pan.
Great recipe but would prefer measurements metric rather than cups
Thank you, Joan. The metric equivalents are available for this recipe. In the recipe card section, where you read “Ingredients”, there is a button on the right that says “US Customary”, Beside that it says “Metric”. This is a clickable button which takes you to the metric measurements. I hope this helps 🙂
I’ve just whacked it in the oven for a little longer this morning! I’ll save it. You can remove my comment 🙂
Thank you so much, G. Ovens do vary radically brand to brand and country to country plus cooking times can be affected by so many things, I’m really glad you put the cake back in and cooked it for longer. With any cake recipe, it should usually say “or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean” as this one does. In other words, if you cook it for the recommended time and the skewer is still wet, do pop it back in the oven. Always use cooking times as a guide as it is impossible for recipe developers to be exact bearing in mind the variables. I cover this in my Top 3 Baking Tips video which you can find here if you are interested https://apriljharris.com/my-top-3-baking-tips/
I hope you enjoyed the cake!
Gluten-free is the future! That cake looks so delicious! So nice
Thank you so much, Christine! I’m working on more gluten-free recipes, as well as providing gluten-free options for existing ones.
Can these be made in small loaf pans and frozen? If so what is timeframe of freezing all most 3 months? How would I icing them if freezing?
Hi Darlene,
You could bake the mixture in small loaf pans but you would need to adjust the cooking time. I have only tested the recipe in the 2lb loaf pan, so you would need to experiment with the baking time.
I have not frozen this cake but most loaf cakes can be frozen without icing on them. I never freeze cakes for longer than 6 weeks. It doesn’t mean the cake would be “off” after that amount of time, but the consistency and flavour just would not be the same. I find with cakes in general it is best to only freeze them for a short time or the quality is just not the same as fresh.
I always thaw cakes first and then ice them, although cakes can be frozen with icing. However in this case, with the glaze and walnut sprinkles, I really do not think it would all hold together very well. I would suggest making the cakes, cooling them completely, and then freezing them. Defrost thoroughly and bring to room temperature before glazing and sprinkling the walnuts on.I hope this helps.
Best wishes, April
Does the gluten free flour need to contain xantham gum?
The gluten-free flour blend I normally use (Bob’s Red Mill) does not contain xanthan gum. However, I have also used another UK gluten-free flour which does. Both worked well for me. I hope this helps, Hanne.