Boozy Coffee & Walnut Cake

Feeling a bit bleak this drizzly, dull January? What you need is this boozy, nutty cake, with a kick of caffeine to lift the spirits. It's super-simple to make and the finish is really nice-a good, light sponge, crunchy toasted walnuts and a warming slug of kahlua. If you have Tia Maria, stick that in, you'll get a more coffee-y finish, but I was economising, because - after all - it is January. 

Ingredients:
200g caster sugar
200g softened butter
4 eggs, beaten
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
50g walnuts, chopped
2 heaped tbsp instant coffee , dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water
500g pot mascarpone
85g light muscovado sugar
4 tbsp liquor (preferably Tia Maria or Kahlua)

Method:
1. Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter two 20cm sandwich tins and line with non-stick baking paper.
2. Toast the walnuts in the oven for 10 mins and set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, beat all the cake ingredients together until you have a smooth, soft batter.
4. Dissolve the instant coffee in 1 tbsp of boiling water, cool and add to the cake mix.
5. Divide the mixture between the 2 tins, smooth the surface with a spatula or the back of a spoon, then bake for about 20 mins until golden and the cake springs back when pressed. Turn onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
6. For the filling, beat the mascarpone with the light muscovado sugar and your choice of liquor until smooth. 

7. Sandwich the cooled cakes with a third of the filling and a third of the walnuts.
8. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the rest of the filling and decorate the top with the remaining toasted walnuts.