Easy Coffee Traybake

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corner of a coffee traybake covered with fudge icing and walnut pieces on a wooden board

This all-in-one coffee traybake is just the ticket for afternoon tea.

Like so many of my recent recipes, I’ve been making this on the regular since I got back to the UK. It’s just perfect with a cup of tea.

You can take the girl out of England but you can’t take the England out of the girl and one thing I’ve really fallen back into since coming back to the motherland is drinking tea. If you’re making, mine is medium-strong with a dash of milk and no sugar. Thanks very much!

We’ve also had the pleasure of hosting lots of friends and family now we’re settled and I always like to make sure that I have baked something for afternoon tea because let’s face it, a cup of tea is too wet without a little something to accompany it!

corner of coffee traybake - the sponge is topped with fudge icing and walnuts

This traybake has been served up more times that I care to remember – it both pleases and feeds a crowd. I love that the sponge is all in one, so you just chuck everything into the bowl or Thermomix and away you go. The sponge itself is light and fluffy and the walnuts and icing are just the tops.

If you want an easy and delicious coffee cake in your cake making repetoire, then this is the recipe for you!

How do you take your tea? What do you like to accompany your cuppa?

squares of coffee cake topped with fudge icing and walnut pieces on a wooden board

Makes about 20 squares

Ingredients

175g butter, softened

175g caster sugar

225g self-raising flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3 large eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon coffee essence (or 2 tablespoons instant coffee mixed with 1 tablespoon water)

FOR THE ICING

75g butter or spread for baking

225g icing sugar, sieved

1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon coffee essence

50g chopped walnuts or walnut pieces

looking down on a coffee traybake uncut covered with fudge icing and topped with walnut pieces

How to – Traditional

  1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan. Grease and line a 30cm x 23cm baking tin with baking paper, ensuring the paper hangs over the side to make “handles.”
  2. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and beat for 2 minutes or until combined.
  3. Transfer to the tin and smooth the top and bake for 30-35 minutes until the cake has shrunk away from the sides of the tin and springs back when lightly pressed. Leave to cool in the tin.
  4. To make the icing, put the butter, icing sugar, milk and essence in a bowl and mix until smooth. Spread over the cake and sprinkle with walnuts.
looking side on at squares of coffee sponge topped with fudge icing and topped with walnuts on a wooden board

How to – Thermomix

  1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan. Grease and line a 30cm x 23cm baking tin with baking paper, ensuring the paper hangs over the side to make “handles.”
  2. Place the butter and sugar in TM bowl and mix for 30 seconds on speed 4. Scrape down sides of bowl.
  3. Add the remaining cake ingredients and mix for 10 seconds on speed 4. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix again for another 10 seconds on speed 4.
  4. Transfer to the tin and smooth the top and bake for 30-35 minutes until the cake has shrunk away from the sides of the tin and springs back when lightly pressed. Leave to cool in the tin.
  5. To make the icing, put the butter, icing sugar, milk and essence in a bowl and mix until smooth. Spread over the cake and sprinkle with walnuts.
a square of coffee traybake topped with fudge icing and a walnut piece