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Home » All Recipes » Desserts, Puddings & Cakes » Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes

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Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes

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All the flavours of a coffee and walnut cake in cupcake form! These easy peasy Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes are quick and easy to make, super simple to decorate (even if you have no cake decoration skills!) and taste amazing.

Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes

 

Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes

What’s your favourite kind of cake? I find that quite a hard question to answer… but coffee and walnut would have to be in my top 5, for sure! There is something almost magical about the combination of strong dark coffee, sweet cake and earthy walnuts.

Coffee and walnut is usually made as a large cake, but it translates brilliantly into cupcake form… and, as a bonus, coffee and walnut cupcakes are much quicker and easier to make than a large coffee and walnut cake!

10 Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes in a 12 hole cupcake tray and 2 cupcakes in front of the tray

 

A super simple coffee and walnut cupcake recipe!

These coffee and walnut cupcakes are so easy to make. Simply beat together butter and caster sugar, mix in the eggs, then stir in self-raising flour, strong coffee and chopped walnuts. Bake for 15 minutes, leave to cool, then decorate! 

Collage showing 6 process shots for Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes

 

A really easy cupcake decoration

If you struggle making cupcakes look good, or if you have just not got the patience for faffy, complicated cake decoration, you are going to love this easy peasy cupcake decoration! All you need to do is mix up a simple coffee buttercream, spread it on the cupcakes with an ordinary table knife (no need for fancy equipment!) and pop a walnut on the top. Visually attractive, but oh so easy 😀

Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes on a cupcake stand

 

Important walnut tip!

Make sure you pick out 24 nice walnuts for decoration FIRST, before chopping up the rest to use in the cupcakes. Otherwise you might find you have used all the good ones in your cupcakes and are left with all the yucky broken ones to decorate the cupcakes.

(I find this is an excellent job to give my kids. I tell them to pick out the 24 most beautiful walnuts, plus a couple of spares, and it keeps them absorbed for ages – and they are much more perfectionist about it than me!)

 

What type of coffee is best for coffee and walnut cupcakes?

Instant coffee is BY FAR the best type of coffee to use for coffee and walnut cupcakes. I have tried using espresso machine coffee, but you just can’t get the coffee strong enough.

If you use espresso coffee, you end up with one of two problems: either the finished cupcakes don’t taste of coffee (even with super strong espresso!) OR you end up putting too much liquid into the cake batter, which negatively affects the texture of the cupcakes.

So, much as I prefer to drink ‘proper’ coffee, for coffee and walnut cake, you really need to use instant coffee.

However, it really doesn’t matter whether you use caffeinated or decaff instant coffee – both will result in delicious coffee-flavoured cupcakes.

You *could* use coffee essence, of course, but I am not a fan of essences – they usually taste artificial and can be expensive. And why bother in this recipe, when most of us already have a jar of instant coffee in our cupboards?

Overhead shot of Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes on a cupcake stand

 

How do you put the coffee in coffee and walnut cupcakes?

The best way to put coffee into coffee and walnut cupcakes is to mix instant coffee granules with boiling water: 1 tablespoon of boiling water for every 1 teaspoon of instant coffee granules.

For this recipe I use 2 teaspoons instant coffee (dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water) in the cake batter and 2 teaspoons instant coffee (dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water) in the buttercream.

 

How to store coffee and walnut cupcakes?

To keep them fresh, store Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes in an airtight cake tin or an airtight plastic box.

 

How long will coffee and walnut cupcakes keep?

Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes will keep for up to a week if kept in an airtight container. (Though they taste best in the first 2-3 days.)

 

Can you freeze coffee and walnut cupcakes ?

Surprisingly, cupcakes freeze really well! However, you should freeze the cupcakes BEFORE decorating them. Place the cooked and cooled cupcakes in an airtight container in the freezer, where they will keep for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight at room temperature and decorate when fully defrosted.

Overhead shot of 10 Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes in a 12 hole cupcake tray and 2 cupcakes in front of the tray

 

If you like this recipe…

…you might also like:

  • Easy Coffee and Walnut Traybake Cake
  • Super Simple Carrot Cake
  • Easy Christmas Cake Muffins (Gluten Free, Nut Free, Alcohol Free)
  • Mini Simnel Cakes (Gluten Free)
  • Easy Peasy Victoria Sandwich Cake

 

Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes
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4.80 from 5 votes

Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes

All the flavours of a coffee and walnut cake in cupcake form! These easy peasy Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes are quick and easy to make, super simple to decorate (even if you have no cake decoration skills!) and taste amazing. 
Prevent your screen from going dark
Course Cake, Dessert, Pudding
Cuisine British
Prep Time 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes minutes
Total Time 40 minutes minutes
Servings 24 cupcakes
Calories 237kcal
Author Eb Gargano

Ingredients

Metric - US Customary

Cupcakes

  • 225 g butter (or margarine, if you prefer), softened
  • 225 g caster sugar
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • 225 g self raising flour
  • 50 g walnuts chopped finely (See Note 1)
  • 2 tablespoons of strong black coffee (See Note 2)

Icing and Decoration

  • 100 g butter (or margarine, if you prefer), softened
  • 200 g icing sugar sieved
  • 2 tablespoons strong black coffee (See Note 2)
  • 24 nice looking walnuts roughly 30g (1oz), I just used the rest of a 100g packet (See Note 1)

Instructions

Cupcakes

  • Pick out 24 really nice walnuts from your packet and set aside for decorating the cupcakes later. Weigh out 50g (1¾oz) of the remaining walnuts and chop finely, or just break them into small pieces with your fingers.
  • Preheat your oven to 180C / 160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F. Put 24 cupcake cases in the holes of a cupcake tin. (See Note 3.)
  • In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar thoroughly, until the mixture starts to look a little bit paler.
  • Add in one egg at a time and stir until each egg is completely mixed in before adding the next one.
  • Add in half the flour and stir gently until just combined. Add in the remaining flour and, again, stir gently until the flour is just combined.
  • Add in the finely chopped walnuts and the strong black coffee and stir just enough to ensure the walnuts are evenly distributed.
  • Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases. (I find 1 heaped tablespoon of mixture per cupcake case is about right.)
  • Put the cupcakes in your preheated oven for 13 minutes. After 13 minutes, get them out and check for doneness by pressing the tops. If they make a little crunchy sound, pop them in for two more minutes. If they don’t make a sound when you press the top, they are done. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the cupcake tray.

Icing and Decoration

  • Don’t try and ice the cupcakes until they are completely cold! (They take about 1 hour to cool.)
  • Put the softened butter and sieved icing sugar in a bowl and beat together until smooth. Add in the coffee and beat again until evenly mixed in.
  • Using a regular table knife, smooth a little of the icing onto the top of each cupcake and top with a walnut.

Video

Notes

  1. Make sure you pick out 24 nice walnuts for decoration FIRST, before chopping up the rest to use in the cupcakes. Otherwise you might find you have used all the good ones in your cupcakes and are left with all the yucky broken ones to decorate the cupcakes. 
  2. The best way to put coffee into coffee and walnut cupcakes is to mix instant coffee granules with boiling water: 1 tablespoon of boiling water for every 1 teaspoon of instant coffee granules. For this recipe I use 2 teaspoons instant coffee (dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water) in the cake batter and 2 teaspoons instant coffee (dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water) in the buttercream.
  3. Use small cupcake cases which are 4.5cm (1¾inches) across the base and 3cm (1¼inches) deep
  4. Suitable for freezing. (Undecorated only)
  5. Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Nutrition Facts
Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 237 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 56mg19%
Sodium 108mg5%
Potassium 42mg1%
Carbohydrates 25g8%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 18g20%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 379IU8%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 13mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* % Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet
Tried this recipe?I'd love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comments below.

 

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22 Comments

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Comments

  1. Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says

    1st March 2016 at 4:51 pm

    I love these classic traditional cakes. You cannot beat a good old favourite! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      1st March 2016 at 6:00 pm

      Totally agree. Coffee and walnut cake is always a favourite in our house. 🙂 Eb x

      Reply
  2. Charlotte Oates says

    1st March 2016 at 11:41 pm

    I love coffee and walnut so we can be friends 🙂

    Coffee and walnut is one of my favourite cakes. Jon got me one for my birthday a couple of weeks ago and it disappeared almost immediately. I’d definitely be happy for a batch of these to turn up for me on Mother’s Day.

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      2nd March 2016 at 11:13 am

      That’s good to know, Charlotte 🙂 It’s definitely one of my favourites (though I do seem to have a lot of favourite cakes!). These only lasted a very short time in our house. Don’t think it’s very likely I’ll get a batch of these on Mother’s Day – my husband refuses to bake and the kids are a bit too small to do it themselves at the moment 🙁 But I’m fairly confident I’ll get breakfast in bed – with some lovely shop-bought pastries, no doubt, so I can’t complain!! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Kate - gluten free alchemist says

    2nd March 2016 at 12:23 am

    Nice to see more coffee and walnut on the cake plate! Yum!! Love little cupcake mouthfuls….. xx

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      2nd March 2016 at 11:17 am

      Great minds think alike, Kate. Love your coffee and walnut cake too 🙂 Popping over to comment on in right now 🙂 Eb x

      Reply
  4. Only Crumbs Remain / Angela says

    2nd March 2016 at 12:58 pm

    These look so pretty Eb and straight forward to do. My dad would love these – he loves both walnuts and coffee flavoured bakes.
    Angela x

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      2nd March 2016 at 2:15 pm

      Thank you, Angela! Coffee and walnuts are great flavours for cupcakes – glad to hear your dad would like them – I should think they’d be great for Father’s Day too 🙂 Eb x

      Reply
  5. Dom says

    4th March 2016 at 7:51 pm

    oooh, coffee and walnut I think is one of my all time favourite cake combo’s… these look so cute and such a brilliant addition to Simply Eggcellent, so thank you x

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      4th March 2016 at 8:50 pm

      Thanks, Dom! It’s such a fab combination, isn’t it? Whoever first thought of it is a genius 🙂 Eb x

      Reply
  6. Hayley @ Snap Happy Bakes says

    6th March 2016 at 9:12 am

    These do sound like the perfect Mothers Day prezzie. My Mum would love them 🙂 Thanks for linking to #CookBlogShare

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      6th March 2016 at 5:51 pm

      Thanks, Hayley 🙂 Eb x

      Reply
  7. Bisuzs Coffee says

    11th April 2016 at 6:15 pm

    Tastes a lot more tastier with the walnuts as toppings! I think it’s a perfect recipe for a tea break.

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      11th April 2016 at 6:27 pm

      Thank you! I totally agree – those walnuts on top make them super yummy. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Janice says

    1st February 2022 at 6:54 pm

    My favourite cake flavour! I love seeing it translated into cupcakes.

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      2nd February 2022 at 8:40 am

      It’s such a good combo, isn’t it?

      Reply
  9. Jo says

    1st February 2022 at 10:47 pm

    My absolute favourite flavor combination for cake bar none. These look great!

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      2nd February 2022 at 8:40 am

      Aw, thanks! Eb 🙂

      Reply
  10. Lesley says

    2nd February 2022 at 7:55 am

    I love coffee and walnut cake, what a great flavour pairing, these cupcakes look perfect.

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      2nd February 2022 at 8:40 am

      Thanks, Lesley!

      Reply
  11. Corina Blum says

    2nd February 2022 at 9:19 am

    I love coffee and walnut cakes but my husband is really not a fan so I have never made anything with these flavours. I would love to eat one though!

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      3rd February 2022 at 8:18 am

      Aw, that’s sad to hear. I guess you could make a batch of these, though, and just flavour half the mixture with coffee and walnut… then you each get what you want! Eb 🙂

      Reply

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Hi and welcome to Easy Peasy Foodie! I’m Eb – a professional blogger, busy mum and passionate foodie and it is my mission in life to make cooking EASIER and MORE DELICIOUS! READ MORE

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