Coffee Yoghurt Walnut Cake

http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/3354314-Coffee-Yoghurt-Walnut-Cake

After tasting this cake from 2 of my colleagues who baked it, I can't wait to bake it myself. The steps seem so easy but it was really time consuming in preparing. In this recipe, it is important to take note of the folding method in order for the cake to rise nicely. I have refrigerated the cake in the fridge for a few hours before I cut and also dust some icing sugar to give a nice finishing look!   

Ingredients

Crumbles:

• 200g digestive biscuits(crushed)
• 120g walnuts (lightly roasted and chopped coarsely)
• 60g light brown sugar
• 10g instant coffee powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 100g cold butter

Cake layer:

• 200g cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 150g butter (room temperature)
• 80g caster sugar
• 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch of salt
• 150g plain yoghurt

Directions

1. Crumbles: Mix crushed digestive biscuits, light brown sugar, chopped walnuts, cinnamon powder and instant coffee powder in a mixing bowl. With finger tips, rub in the cold butter until the mixture becomes crumbly. Set aside.

2.Sift cake flour and baking powder. Set aside.

3. With an electric mixer, beat butter with sugar until the batter becomes pale, creamy and fluffy.

4. Mix in vanilla extract, salt and mix well.

5. Add in eggs gradually, mix well each time the eggs is added.

6. With a spatula, stir in the cake flour/ baking flour mixture. Stir until the flour mixture is fully incorporated into the batter. The batter at this stage will be quite thick and firm.

7. *Add in yoghurt in a few separated additions, stir well each time the yoghurt is added. The batter will become smooth and ’spreadable’.

8. Line the bottom of a 20cm X 20cm baking tray** with 1/3 of the crumbles. Spread evenly and press firmly with back of a spoon.

9. Add in half of the cake batter, spread evenly with the spatula. Sprinkle the top of the cake batter evenly with 1/3 of the crumbles. Add in the remaining cake batter, spread evenly. Sprinkle with the rest of the remaining crumbles.

10. Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degree C for 35-40 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

11. Remove cake from oven, let cool slightly and unmold. Refrigerate cake in fridge for a few hour before slicing into square. Place cake on paper filler and dust with icing sugar (optional).

Notes

*Important:Don't over fold as the cake won't rise nicely. **I use baking tray instead of springform pan,lined over hanging on one side of the tray. When cake is done,simply lift up the baking paper and place the cake on plate to cool off completely.