Coffee and walnut spelt cake

First make the meringue kisses: preheat the oven to 110°C (90°C fan) mark ¼. Beat the egg whites in a grease-free bowl with a handheld electric whisk until stiff peaks form. Gradually add caster sugar, whisking back up to stiff peaks after each addition. The meringue should be thick and glossy. Then whisk in the coffee mixture.

Line two large baking sheets with baking parchment (use a little meringue to stick down the corners of the parchment). Spoon the remaining meringue into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm (½in) round nozzle. Pipe 20 ‘kisses’ on to the lined sheets, spacing apart. Bake for 2hr, then turn off the oven and leave to cool completely inside.

Remove the cold meringues from the oven and transfer to an airtight container until ready to use. Then preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Put the walnuts on to a baking tray and toast in the oven for 10min. Set aside to cool. Bash the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar to release the seeds from the husks; continue to grind the seeds as small as you can. Put the seeds and husks into a cup with the instant coffee and 4tbsp boiling water. Stir, then set aside to cool and infuse.

Grease and line a 20.5cm (8in) deep loose-bottom cake tin. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy, about 5min. Gradually add the eggs, a little at a time, adding a little flour if it looks like it might curdle.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Strain the coffee mixture into a jug and discard the cardamom husks. Set aside 50g (2oz) walnuts for the decoration, then finely chop the rest.

Fold a third of the flour into the cake mixture, followed by half the coffee mixture. Repeat until the flour and coffee have all been added. Finally, fold in the chopped walnuts. Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake tin. Bake for 1hr 20min, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make the syrup. In a small pan, melt the sugar with 75ml (3fl oz) water over a low heat, then bring to the boil and simmer for 2min. Remove from the heat and whisk in the instant coffee and cardamom pods. Leave to cool and infuse before removing the cardamom.

For the caramelised walnuts, spread out the reserved toasted walnuts on a tray lined with baking parchment. Put 50g (2oz) sugar and 1tbsp water in a small, heavy-based pan. Cook on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and increase the heat to medium-high, bubble until it begins to turn a deep golden colour – about 8-10min. Drizzle the caramel over the walnuts and leave on the baking tray for at least 30min, to set. When cold and hardened, put a couple of walnuts in a food bag and bash with a rolling pin to crush.

To make the buttercream, in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy, then add the coffee mix and whisk until combined.

Spoon about 6tbsp into a piping bag fitted with a closed star piping nozzle, and set aside. When the cake is cool, slice horizontally into 3 layers. Brush the syrup on to each layer and let it soak in for 10min. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on to each layer of sponge, then stack together. Spread some of the remaining buttercream on top of the cake to give a thin covering. Thinly spread the rest of the buttercream around the sides of the cake, leaving the layers partially exposed to create the ‘naked cake’ look.

Pipe rosettes randomly around the top edge of the cake, dot with the meringue kisses, caramelised walnuts and sprinkle with the crushed caramelised walnuts. Dust meringues with a little instant coffee, then serve.

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