Monday, October 17, 2011

Brown Sugar Walnut Cakes, With Espresso Cream Cheese Frosting

Filled with whipped cream-cheese frosting, specked with ground espresso beans, these brown sugar walnut cakes are a melty explosion of flavor on the first bite. The burst of strong coffee, cream cheese, and brown sugar melt in your mouth in seconds. My family and our dinner guests had a difficult time stopping at just one. I love that they're personal sized, layered, and multi-textured: A light and fluffy cake that's full of creaminess, and crunch. These adorable and delicious treats are the perfect festive desert for transitioning into autumn. 
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup walnut pieces, finely ground in a food processor; plus more walnut pieces for garnish (optional)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
For The Glaze 
1 cup confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon instant expresso powder 
1-  8 oz container of whipped cream cheese 
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat two 6- cavity muffin top tins with nonstick cooking spray. 
2) In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl one or twice as necessary. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat, scraping down the bowl once, until well combined. Add the flour, ground walnuts, baking powder, and salt and mix on low until just combined. Spoon the batter into the muffin top tins and smooth to the edges of each cavity with a spatula (only about 1/2 an inch to an inch thick. These aren't going to be the size of muffins.)
3) Bake until the tops of the layers are just golden, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately invert onto a wire rack. Let cool for 10 minutes. 
Make The Glaze
1) While the layers are cooling, make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar, cream cheese, and espresso powder in a medium bowl until smooth. Slice the muffins in half and fill them with frosting. Close them and cover the tops and sides of the muffins well.  
Bon Appétit!


9 comments:

  1. Well worth the wait! These were incredible!
    And beautiful!

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  2. WOWOWOWW, do I need to say more!!!!!

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  3. I'll vouch for these!! They were as amazing as they look! totally worth it;)

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  4. I should have stayed in Columbus for these!
    They look AMAZING!

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  5. this looks so good. I am tempted to make it. Keep on blogging :)

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  6. WAITING FOR THE NEXT POST!!!!!!!!!

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  7. yumm!! this looks beyond delicious!

    http://xoxo-carolinalove.blogspot.com

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  8. Hi, I made these, they were delish, but there was so little batter. I can't imagine you filling up 12 muffin tops! I didn't have muffin top pans so I used a pan of mini loafs (very small loafs) and I was only able to fill up 4.5 of them!

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  9. Dear Anonymous,
    Direction #2) Spoon the batter into the muffin top tins and smooth to the edges of each cavity with a spatula.
    These are not meant to be full muffins, they are only meant to fill about 1/3 of the muffin tin. Just to cover the bottom of the tins! About half of an inch to three quarters of an inch thick. I hope this is more clear now, and that this doesn't discourage you from trying the recipe again!
    (This is also why the baking time is only about 10 minutes!)
    The Rosiest Cheeks

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