Mothers Walnut Cake Food

COFFEE & WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter 2 x 20cm springform cake tins and line with baking parchment. Set aside 2 tbsp of the coffee for the filling.
• Beat the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, vanilla and half the remaining coffee in a large bowl with an electric whisk until lump-free. Fold in the finely chopped walnuts, then divide between the tins and roughly spread. Scatter the roughly chopped walnuts over one of the cakes. Bake the cakes for 25-30 mins until golden and risen, and a skewer poked in comes out clean. Drizzle the plain cake with the remaining coffee. Cool the cakes in the tins.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: beat together the icing sugar, cream and mascarpone, then fold in the reserved 2 tbsp coffee. Spread over the plain cake, then cover with the walnut-topped cake and dust with a little icing sugar.

MOTHER'S WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter, shortening and granulated sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk and vanilla. Beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in ground walnuts. , Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. , For frosting, beat cream cheese and butter. Add confectioners' sugar; mix well. Beat in vanilla until smooth. Spread frosting between layers and over the top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with walnuts. Refrigerate.

WALNUT CAKE WITH PENUCHE FROSTING

Steps:

• Grease 1 13x9 inch pan or 2 8-inch cake pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• For the cake, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs, one at a time. Beat well.
• Add vanilla.
• In separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
• Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture, alternately with the milk. Mix well.
• Pour batter into cake pan or pans.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cake tests done.
• For frosting, boil butter and sugar 2 minutes in microwave oven.
• Add milk. Boil again.
• Beat in sugar and vanilla.
• Make the frosting shortly before the time you want to put it on the cake as it gets harder with time.
• Allow cake to cool slightly before frosting.

WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Grease an 8-inch/20-cm round cake pan and line with parchment paper.
• Grind the walnuts together with the breadcrumbs in a food processor. Put the egg whites in a large bowl for whisking. Whisk the yolks and granulated sugar in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (without letting the bowl touch the water) until they have tripled in volume and become thick, pale and ribbony. Take the yolk mixture off the heat. Scatter the nut mixture over the yolk mixture, along with the chocolate, if using, then drizzle over the butter and espresso. Fold very gently to blend. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Stir a spoonful of whites into the batter to loosen it, and then gently fold in the remainder.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack before flipping the cake out onto a serving plate.
• Decorate with a sifting of confectioners' sugar and a few walnut halves. Some white blossoms look nice, too. Serve small portions of cake with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or with coffee ice cream.

DATE & WALNUT LOAF

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 2lb loaf tin (ours was 22 x 10cm and 6cm deep) and line with baking parchment. Put the butter, dates and bicarbonate of soda (which helps break down the dates) in a large bowl and add 150ml boiling water. Give it a stir so the butter melts, and leave to stand for around 20 mins until the dates have softened.
• Whisk in the sugar until smooth, then gradually whisk in the eggs until combined. Beat in the baking powder, flour and a pinch of sea salt until there are no lumps of flour left and it's smooth. Fold in three-quarters of the walnuts, then pour into the prepared tin. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts over the top.
• Bake for 20 mins, then turn the oven down to 170C/150C fan/gas 3 and cook for another 45-50 mins until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 15 mins, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Lightly dust with the icing sugar and serve in slices. Freeze whole or cut into slices, then place in an airtight container or divide between reusable freezer bags. Can be frozen for up to three months. Defrost thoroughly overnight.

RAISIN-WALNUT COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Butter an angel food cake pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In a small bowl, combine walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon; transfer half to a second bowl and mix in raisins.
• Using electric mixer, on medium speed, beat granulated sugar and butter to combine, 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in flour mixture until just combined. Mix in sour cream until just combined.
• Spread half of batter evenly in prepared pan and sprinkle with raisin-walnut mixture. Top with remaining batter and sprinkle with walnut mixture. Bake 30 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 300°F and continue baking until wooden pick inserted into cake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes more. Cool cake completely in pan on wire rack.
• Unmold cake. Slice and serve, or wrap in plastic and freeze for up to 3 days. One hour and 15 minutes before serving, let thaw to room temperature. If desired, warm in 375°F oven.