Old-fashioned Walnut Spice Cake |
|
 |
Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 240 Minutes |
Ready In: 240 Minutes Servings: 8 |
|
First, about the walnuts. Black (AKA American) walnuts and English walnuts are two very different nuts. Black walnuts, which I love, are strongly and distinctly flavored, unlike the tamer, more mildly flavored English walnut, and are nearly impossible to find. Read more . I used half black walnuts and half English walnuts, because the black walnuts are strongly flavored enough to come through. Also, because I live with the president of the I won't eat nuts in anything sweet if they're in pieces big enough to be detectable club (don't ask, because it doesn't make any sense, just accept it and move on), I finely ground the walnuts. If you live with a rational human being, you can, of course, skip this step. Normally, I would just use regular Saigon store cinnamon (which is cassia, not cinnamon), but because this is going to be dessert for a Mexican meal, I used canela (true cinnamon). Now, on to the recipe. Ingredients:
cake |
3/4 lb. butter, room temp |
1 1/4 c. light brown sugar |
1 c. white sugar |
3 eggs |
i c. chopped walnuts |
2 t. cinnamon |
1/2 t. ground allspice |
1 1/2 t. baking soda |
3 c. cake or all-purpose flour |
1 1/2 c. buttermilk |
french buttercream |
12 egg yolks |
2 c. sugar |
6 t. water |
1 lb. unsalted butter at room temperature |
1/2 c. black walnuts, half finely ground, and the other half for garnish (see end of directions below) |
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour either one 13x9x2 pan (cake will come all the way to the top) or three 9-inch round pans.
2. Cream the butter and sugars together until fluffy. Beat in the eggs until thoroughly blended. Mix in the soda and spices. Scrape the bowl, and blend well.
3. Mix in a cup of the flour, until it is blended. Mix in a half cup of the buttermilk, mix in, scrape the bowl, and blend thoroughly. Repeat twice, until all of the flour and buttermilk has been added. Mix in the walnuts.
4. Pour (it's a thick batter) into greased and floured pans. Bake for 45-60 minutes, depending on your pans, until done.
5. Buttercream:
6. Put yolks in a mixer bowl, place over a saucepan of boiling water, and beat constantly with a whisk until about 120 degrees, light and foamy.
7. Place bowl in mixer and beat on high speed until doubled in volume and thick. When you lift the mixer paddle, the egg yolks should form ribbons (if not, keep beating).
8. While the yolks are beating, make the syrup. Mix sugar and water in a heavy pan and bring to a boil, stirring just until the sugar is dissolved (if you stir after, the syrup will crystallize). Cook over medium heat to 240 degrees and remove from the heat.
9. With the mixer running at medium high speed, slowly pour the syrup into the yolks. Turn the mixer on high and beat until cooled to room temperature (this is important–you cannot proceed until the mixture is at room temperature, or you’ll ruin the buttercream).
10. Beat in the butter, tablespoon by tablespoon. Refrigerate until spreading consistency (see below for directions about the walnuts).
11. If you baked the cake in a 13x9x2 pan, mix in the finely ground walnuts. If you baked the cake in layers, reserve them, and use them to coat the sides of the cake when you have iced it. Sprinkle the remaining chopped walnuts over the top of the cake.
12. Note: You have to refrigerate it to spreading consistency, but except in high heat, these will hold up without refrigeration. Also, if you do refrigerate the cakes, you will have to remove them an hour or so before serving, because the buttercream will get hard.
|
|