10/24/13

Nigel Slater: The last supper | Life and style | The Observer

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Food

The last supper

People often ask what his final feast would be. Easy, says Nigel Slater, perfect coffee and walnut cake
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Nigel Slat er The Observ er, Sunday 2 8 Septem ber 2 003

One of the mildly irritating things about being a cookery writer is constantly being asked by interviewers, 'What is your favourite food?' The others, for the record, include such in-depth probing as, 'What do you always have in your fridge?' or 'What is your favourite piece of kitchen equipment?' John Humphrys, eat your heart out. But one question always fills me with delight: 'What would be your last meal?' Apart from the absurdity of the enquiry - in truth the answer is likely to be 'Something through a straw' - little appeals more to me than having the luxury of choosing that last, gorgeous mouthful. I am still undecided. I sway back and forth between a bowl of hot and sour Vietnamese soup to fill me with clear-headed vitality for the journey and, on a more mollifying note, a pot of tea and a nice piece of cake. Right now I'll take the cosy option. Coffee and walnut, if you don't mind, with light, nubbly walnut sponge and an old-fashioned buttercream in the middle. The sort of cake you are more likely to find at the Midsommer Norton village fte than at the Place de la Madeleine's exquisite Laudre patisserie. It would have to be perfect, mind. The slice of coffee and walnut cake by which all others are measured. The coffee and walnut cake from heaven. As home-made cakes go, I am not sure anything comes close to this one, the layers of sponge so airy, the buttercream's shocking sweetness seen off by the 'adult' bitterness of
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Nigel Slater: The last supper | Life and style | The Observer

coffee and walnuts. And more, there is something about the way this cake sits on your fork that is different from a lump of uptight Madeira or claggy chocolate cake; there is a fragility to a well-made coffee and walnut cake, the softest crumbs held together by the sweetest honey-coloured frosting. There is no cake so tender. You will get the most well-risen sponge by using soft margarine (all the water in it turns to steam, you see) but anything as processed as margarine will never set foot over my threshold. The trick is simply to beat the butter - sweet, fresh, unsalted - and the sugar so thoroughly that it becomes almost white, even if you are using one of the darker, unrefined caster sugars. You could, I suppose, do this by hand with a wooden spoon, but I see no reason for such hard-baked domesticity in this day and age. An electric mixer with a flat paddle beater will get the job done in a matter of minutes. Occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula will ensure that the ingredients are evenly and thoroughly creamed. I mention this only because of the temptation not to. I remain unrepentant about the size of cakes. Anything less than 20cm in diameter looks downright mean. The point being that you end up with a stubby lump on your plate rather than a long, elegantly tapered slice. It's the same with a fruit tart. Having said that, a cake too large will have you eating it for a week. Nothing quite sends the snobbier foodie into a hissy-fit like the mention of buttercream. Great. That leaves more cake for us lot. But to a certain extent, they have a point. The oversweet gritty paste flavoured with cheap vanilla essence is one of the nastier recipes we have come up with over the years. Make it with unsalted butter, unrefined golden icing sugar and a good shot of strong coffee, and you have a perfectly acceptable, buttery filling for your cake. Follow the 'professional' buttercream recipes that suggest making a meringue over hot water and beating butter into it, and your cake will instantly lose its village-hall charm. About the coffee. I have flavoured cake and frosting with both strong home-made espresso and instant coffee granules, and I have come to the conclusion that the latter gives a richer, more rounded flavour. The only bore is having to go out and buy the stuff. And if anyone looks as if they are about to get snooty with you, just remind them that Elizabeth David apparently drank instant coffee by the mugful. No matter how buttery, crumbly and featherweight your cake, it is unlikely that even the most enthusiastic family will get through it at one sitting. I find such bakery keeps best at cool room temperature, and will be in good condition for two or three days, as long as it is kept away from dust and warmth. The ideal storage is an old-fashioned biscuit tin, one where the smell of home-baking lingers even when the tin is empty. It
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Nigel Slater: The last supper | Life and style | The Observer

wouldn't be a bad epitaph: 'The guy who put a cake tin back into every kitchen.' Coffee and walnut cake As it is made with unsalted butter, unrefined sugar and free-range organic eggs, you will have something infinitely superior to any shop-bought cake. It takes an hour from start to finish and will keep for several days, sealed and at room temperature. Serves 8-10. 175g butter 175g unrefined golden caster sugar 65g walnut pieces 3 large eggs 175g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 2 tsp instant coffee granules For the filling: 200g butter 400g icing sugar 2 tsps instant coffee granules 60g walnut pieces You will also need 2 x 21cm loose-bottomed sponge tins. Beat the butter and sugar till it is light, pale and fluffy. You could do this by hand, but it is far easier and better with an electric mixer. Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4. Meanwhile, line the base of two 21cm sponge tins with greaseproof paper and chop the walnuts. Crack the eggs into a bowl, break them up with a fork and add them a little at a time to the butter and sugar, beating well after each addition. Mix the flour and baking powder together and mix into the butter and sugar gently, with the mixer on a slow speed or by hand, with a large metal spoon. Dissolve the coffee granules in 1 tbsp boiling water, then stir into the cake. Chop the walnuts and fold gently into the cake. Divide the cake mixture between the two cake tins, smooth lightly, and bake for 20-25 minutes. I have noticed mine are pretty much consistently done after 23 minutes. To make the frosting, beat the butter till soft and pale with an electric beater, then add the sugar and beat till smooth and creamy. Stir 1 tbsp boiling water into the coffee granules then mix it into the buttercream. Fold in the walnut pieces. As soon as it is cool, turn one half of the cake upside down on a plate or board, spread it with a good third of the buttercream, then place the second half on top. Spread the
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Nigel Slater: The last supper | Life and style | The Observer

remaining buttercream on top and round the sides. Get the Observer Food Monthly email
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