In our house coffee is officially banned.  Not by me, but by my lovely husband.  He’s not usually a very fussy chap, and will generally eat anything I put in front of him, but he draws the line at coffee.  He loves the smell of it but can’t stand the taste.

This frustrates me as I love the stuff; love the smell, love the taste but (and here’s the major problem) hate the effect it has; caffeine has me bouncing off the walls, another thing my husband isn’t particularly keen on!  I could use decaff but it’s just not the same, so coffee flavoured treats are usually off the menu unless I’m off to visit friends and can take it with me as a gift.

These coffee and walnut cupcakes are ideal; just a little hit of coffee, not enough to turn me into Tigger though!  I use instant coffee to make these; I keep a small jar in the house for when my dad comes round (he’s not a tea person) but they would probably taste much nicer using real coffee.  They’re an easy cake to bake when you’ve not got too many fancy things in the store cupboard so they’re also a handy standby.

• 185g unsalted butter,
• 125g soft brown sugar,
• 2 medium eggs,
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee,
• 1 tablespoon hot (not boiling) water,
• 155g self-raising flour, sifted,
• 60g chopped walnuts

• 50g cream cheese,
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee,
• 1 tablespoon hot (not boiling) water,
• 300g icing sugar

extra walnut pieces to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/ 300°F and line a cupcake tray with paper cases.

2. Beat the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well.

4. Mix the coffee and water together until smooth and add to the batter.

5. Add the flour and the walnuts and mix well.

6. Spoon into the paper cases and bake for 25-30 minutes until springy to the touch.

7. Allow to cool in the tray.

8. To make the icing, make another batch of coffee and combine with the cream cheese and icing sugar.  Pipe onto the cakes and top with a walnut piece.

This post will also appear as a guest post on The Frugal Flambe.