Nici Wickes: Little coffee, maple & walnut cakes

Coffee and walnuts are old friends and in these cute little cakes maple syrup adds an extra dimension. 

Makes 8 small cakes or 10-12 muffins 

100g soft butter
2/3 cup brown sugar, loosely packed (about 100g)
3 eggs
50g yoghurt or sour cream
100g walnuts, chopped + extra pieces to garnish
1 ½ cups plain flour (or 1 ¼ cups GF flour)
3 tsp baking powder
3 tsp espresso powder or 2 tsp instant coffee
1-2 tbsps milk
¼ cup maple syrup

Icing: 

100g cream cheese
2 tbsps sour cream
½ cup brown sugar
4 heaped tbsps icing sugar

Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease and flour an 8-hole mini-cake tin or 12 hole muffin tray.
In a bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until it is creamed, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Continue mixing until light and fluffy.
Stir in the yoghurt or sour cream and half the walnuts until just combined.
Stir in the flour, baking powder and coffee and mix until combined.
Add enough milk to get a dropping consistency.
Spoon cake batter into tins and cook for 20-25 minutes until risen and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave for 5 minutes before turning out to cool.
Toast the remaining walnuts and drizzle over maple syrup to coat. Briefly simmer then set aside to cool.
Make the icing by beating all ingredients together until smooth.
Ice each cake and garnish with cooled maple walnut pieces.

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