I cheaped out and used regular walnuts instead of black walnuts for this recipe from Simply in Season. But I did get a chance to actually use my Cooks Illustrated online subscription because it didn’t include a recipe for the frosting. It turned out great!
FOR PRINTABLE VERSION CLICK HERE: Black Walnut Cake
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
4 egg whites
1 cup black walnuts, chopped
1. Blend flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Add milk, butter, and vanilla and beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes.
3. Add egg white and beat for another 2 minutes.
4. Fold in black walnuts and pour into 2 greased and floured 9 inch round cake pans. Bake in preheated oven at 350F for 35-40 minutes.
Servings: 12
The Verdict: This cake was super delicious. It was a huge hit at my parent’s house. It was very moist and light; the vanilla frosting was also great (even directly from the beater, not that I licked them or anything!) It was very rich and my mom thought it had cream cheese in it but it did not. Ha!
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/12 of a recipe (3.6 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.
Amount Per Serving
Calories 331.48
Calories From Fat (38%) 124.64
% Daily Value
Total Fat 14.47g 22%
Saturated Fat 5.5g 28%
Cholesterol 21.96mg 7%
Sodium 364.57mg 15%
Potassium 131.8mg 4%
Total Carbohydrates 45.37g 15%
Fiber 1.34g 5%
Sugar 26.31g
Protein 6.89g 14%
FOR THE FROSTING
Source: Cook’s Illustrated online
- In a small bowl, stir together 2 Tbsp heavy cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until the salt dissolves.
- In a KitchenAid or large bowl, beat 2 1/2 sticks of butter until smooth (about 30-60 seconds). Reduce speed, add 2 1/2 C of powdered sugar, and beat until smooth (about 2-5 minutes).
- Add the cream mixture and beat on medium-high until light & fluffy (about 4-8 minutes).
This post also linked to Things I Love Thursday
Many, many, many years ago I used to get black walnut ice cream at a teensy family owned ice cream parlor in Rhode Island. What is it about black walnuts? Wishin’ for some black walnut ice cream right about now. Thanks.
sounds delicious
Ok thank you, I want cake now…teehee! What a great recipe, thanks for sharing!
Yum! My mom would so love this recipe! I actually prefer the regular walnuts! Lol
The cake sounds delicious! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a frosting recipe that contained so much butter … it must taste amazing! 🙂 It’s crucial for the baker to taste the frosting. One wouldn’t want to spoil the cake by using bad frosting, right?
totally! We think alike. And, you’ll note I didn’t include any nutritional info for the frosting 😀
That looks really delish! I have been turning on my oven more than I really wanted to this summer – sometimes you just have to have cake!
Love the black walnut cake. My mother made them from fresh black walnuts from our neighborhood. I wish I could find black walnut ice-cream. I saw it in a Publix in Georgia six years ago but can’t find it in Florida. yum! I’m making the cake again today. so delicious.