• Preheat oven to 180C and grease and line both 15cm baking tins
• Toast the crushed walnuts in a dry pan for approx 1 minute till golden and aromatic, tip on to a saucer
• beat the butter and sugar till light and fluffy and totally combined
• add the eggs one at a time stirring them into the batter
• add all other ingredients (including most of the walnuts) and stir well to combine
• spoon batter into prepared tins and bake for approx 25 minutes or until a cocktail stick comes out clean from the centre of the cake and it bounces back when lightly pressed
• allow cake to cool for 5 minutes before removing from tins and cooling completely on wire rack

Making the syrup

• While cake is baking heat all the syrup ingredients in a small pan
• bring to the boil and then let it bubble till it thickens up to a syrup, about 5 minutes, remove from heat
• Add the coffee liqueur and stir through
• Strain the syrup through a plastic sieve to remove any seedy bits and bobs and allow to cool
• Pierce both cakes all over with cocktail stick and drizzle over about half of the syrup

Making the frosting

• beat together the butter and icing sugar and add in the coffee and the syrup to the mix

Assembling the cake

• slather buttercream on the cake base and also on the top cake, then place the top cake on top of the bottom one, lightly skim round the sides of the cake with a palate knife and a little buttercream, you only want a light coating here
• Sprinkle remaining crushed walnuts on top of cake and place a couple of walnut halves in the centre, finally drizzle over the remainder of the syrup so that it runs down the sides of the cake here and there