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Hand pulling out a slice of Pecan Butterscotch Latte from whole cake on a wooden box
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5 from 1 vote

Coffee and Pecan Cake {gluten-free}

This Coffee and Pecan Cake is a gluten-free delight, the sponge flavourful with ground pecans, oat flour and muscovado sugar. The buttercream whipped to light perfection with a touch of mascarpone and all imbued with a rich coffee aroma.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Cake
Cuisine: British
Servings: 16 people
Calories: 629kcal

Ingredients

Cake

  • 440 g light muscovado sugar
  • 350 g unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 5 eggs medium size*
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 160 g white rice flour
  • 50 g gluten-free oat flour
  • 160 g ground pecans*
  • tablespoons coffee powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Icing

  • 300 g unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 300 g icing sugar
  • 3 tablespoons mascarpone
  • 1 teaspoon coffee powder
  • a pinch of salt
  • 12 pecan halves to decorate

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 160°C and line and grease 2 x 20cm round baking tins
  • Cream the sugar and butter for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down after each addition and mix until thoroughly combined.
  • Then add the maple syrup and vanilla extract, mixing in well.
  • In a separate bowl whisk together the flours, ground pecans, coffee powder, baking powder and salt. Add it to the rest of the batter and beat well until the batter is smooth.
  • Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  • Remove the cakes from the oven and carefully turn out onto wire racks to cool completely before icing.
  • For the icing beat the butter and sugar together for ten minutes until airy.
  • Add the mascarpone, coffee powder and salt and beat again until incorporated.
  • To assemble the cake spread the icing on one layer of the cake, enough so that the icing spills out a little over the sides. Place the second layer on top and spread some more icing evenly over the surface.
  • Smooth the icing which is peeking out of the middle over the sides of the cake very thinly to achieve the naked cake effect.
  • Decorate the top of the cake with the pecan halves.

Notes

  • Make sure your pecans are fresh - and haven't been sitting opened in your cupboard for a long time.
  • To make the ground pecans - grind raw pecan halves in your food processor. You need 160g pecan halves to make the same amount of flour
  • Don't overgrind your pecans. Add a bit of the sugar and rice flour into the food processor as you grind them. The sugar and flour will prevent the pecans from releasing their oils as you grind them. If this happens your cake will be too dense and will sink.
  • The eggs used in this recipe are medium size, 60g with shell and 50g without shell. If you can't get hold of medium eggs I suggest you weigh the amount.

Make ahead

The whole cake can be made up to 2 days before serving. Store in the fridge in an airtight container and bring out about an hour before serving as long as it stands in a moderate temperature.

How to freeze the whole cake

Flash freeze it uncovered for 4 hours so the cake is hard then wrap very well with cling film and aluminium foil so it is completely airtight. Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before unwrapping and bring to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.

Ingredient measurements

  • Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy.
  • US customary measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups

Nutrition information

Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.
The nutrition serving is for 1 slice of cake, assuming you cut the cake into 16 portions.

Nutrition

Calories: 629kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 108mg | Potassium: 176mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 1134IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg