Coffee and walnut cake is Mr Maggie May's favourite.

It's got to have a good, strong coffee flavour, a deliciously light and fluffy sponge, be packed full of walnuts, and it can't be too sickly sweet. With such a strict list of requirements, it's hardly surprising that I had avoided baking this classic in the seven years we have been together...

Finally, with bated breath, I decided to give it a go.