Hi, hope you're all well!
Today, I'm here with a recipe for an easy to make walnut cake.
It is very popular in my family and it never lasts long when I make it for my boyfriend either!
There is something about the little crunch you get when eating it, which makes you smile!
Walnuts are just in season and make a perfect festive ingredient.
You can find them in shops now, or maybe you've harvested some from your garden.
They are rich in proteins and fats and are famous for being beneficial to heart health.
Whilst the ones without shells are more convenient, they can be quite pricey. Walnuts sold in shells are usually cheaper. So if you don't mind spending some extra time on removing the shells, you can save some money here.
Also, this can be done in advance, just remember to use a nutcracker and be careful when breaking the shells as they are hard and can be very sharp.
Store the nuts in an airtight container and use them later when needed. They will last for several weeks!
The rest of the ingredients for this recipe is fairly basic, so I won't go into much detail about them.
The sugar and lemon icing on top is completely optional. If you decide to make this too, remember you'll need to make it thick enough (adding more sugar and less lemon juice), so that it sticks to the surface of the cake.
A thinner icing will still create a nice glaze however, it won't be as visible!
If you make too much of the icing, you can keep pouring it over the cake over and over again until you use it all.
As you see in my pictures, I'm using a rounded baking tin to make this cake, hence the baking time is around one hour.
Feel free to use a regular (flat) baking tray instead, but make sure you shorten the total baking time by approximately a half (30-40mins will be enough)!
Tried this recipe? Share your picture on Instagram and tag @markieskitchencom & use the hashtag #markieskitchencom so I can see!
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Easy festive walnut cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup self-raising flour, plus some for dusting baking tin
- ½ cup walnuts, shelled and chopped plus some for decoration (if making icing)
- 3 free range eggs
- 1 cup sugar or ½ cup Half Spoon (sugar and sweetener mix)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup warm milk or room temperature
- ½ cup sunflower oil
- knob of butter for greasing the baking tin
Lemon and sugar icing (Optional)
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 100 g icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan.
- Beat the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add sugar (or sugar and sweetener mix) and whisk until smooth.
- Gradually start adding flour. The batter will thicken. Keep mixing until smooth. (Use a spatula from now on)
- Add baking powder, vanilla extract and walnuts. Stir thoroughly.
- Add warm milk and sunflower oil, stir until the fat is fully absorbed in the batter.
- Prepare your baking tin: Grease the inside of it with butter, making sure every inch of the surface is greasy.
- Sprinkle over some flour and keep shaking the tin in all direction so that the flour sticks to the butter and creates a non-stick layer. Add more flour if needed. Repeat this step until the whole inside of the tin is covered in flour.
- Carefully pour over the batter. Use the spatula to scrape up any remaining bits from the bowl.
- Place the baking tin on a middle shelf in the oven and bake for 50-60 mins.
- Check if it's fully baked by inserting a wooden stick into the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. If there are any bits stuck to it, bake it for another 5 minutes and check again after.
Lemon and sugar icing (optional)
- In a mixing bowl, mix together lemon juice and icing sugar. Whisk until smooth, glossy and thick. Add more icing sugar if you want it thicker (up to a double of the amount).
- Pour it slowly or brush it over the cake (warm or cold). Sprinkle some remaining walnuts on top. Leave to set for 1 hr before serving.
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