Walnut Praline Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting Food

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 AMERICAN FROSTING

Steps:

• Melted butter, for brushing pans
• 7 ounces all-purpose flour
• Pinch salt
• 1 generous teaspoon baking powder
• 7 tablespoons butter, softened
• 8 ounces caster sugar (superfine)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, separated
• 3 1/2 ounces shelled walnuts, roughly chopped
• 3 1/2 ounces milk
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush 2 (8-inch) or 3 (7-inch) cake pans or sandwich pans with melted butter, and dust with flour. Line the base of each pan with parchment or greaseproof paper.
• In a bowl, sift the flour with the salt, and baking powder.
• In a large bowl, or in an electric food mixer, cream the butter until soft. Add the sugar, and vanilla extract, and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, and then stir in the chopped walnuts. Fold in a quarter of the flour and milk into the mixture, alternating each, until they are incorporated.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are stiff.
• Stir a quarter of the egg whites into the cake mixture, and then gently fold in the rest. Divide the batter between the tins, making a slight hollow in the center of each so that the cake rises evenly rather than forming a peak.
• Bake in the oven until firm to the touch or until a skewer inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 16 to 20 minutes. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
• To make the buttercream filling: Cream the butter until very soft, and then beat in the confectioners' sugar, and the vanilla extract. When the cakes are cool, spread the buttercream filling on one layer, and top with the second layer, sandwiching the layers together.
• Make the American frosting as described below. Spread the American frosting quickly over the cake with a palette knife, regularly dipping the knife into a jug of boiling water to help spread the icing. It sets very quickly at this stage, so speed is essential. Scatter with rose petals, if using, or arrange the walnut halves around the top of the cake, and allow the icing to set until it feels dry on the surface.
• To make the American Frosting: Ensure your cake is ready before you start, as this icing begins to set very quickly. Bring to the boil a saucepan of water large enough to hold a heatproof bowl. Place the egg whites in the bowl and whisk with a hand-held electric beater until very stiff.
• In a separate saucepan over a medium-high heat, dissolve the sugar in the water and boil for 5 to 10 minutes until the liquid is thick and syrupy and has reached the 'thread' stage - when the last few drops that fall from a metal spoon dipped into the syrup come off in one long, quite thick and syrupy thread.
• Pour the boiling syrup over the stiffly beaten egg whites, whisking all the time with the hand-held beater. Place the bowl in the saucepan of simmering water. Continue to whisk over the water for 10 to 15 minutes until the icing is snow white, very thick and meringue-like.
• Spread quickly over the cake with a palette knife, regularly dipping the knife into a jug of boiling water. The icing sets very quickly at this stage, so speed is essential.

APPLE WALNUT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; mix into the batter. Fold in apples and nuts. , Spread into a 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 325° for 50-60 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool. , For the frosting, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Whip until smooth and spread over cake.

WALNUT CREAM CHEESE CAKE

Steps:

• Butter a 2 Quart Bundt or Kugelhopf pan and dust with finely chopped walnuts.
• Preheat oven to 300ºF.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter while adding the cream cheese, lemon rind, and sugar.
• Beat until smooth.
• Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorperated.
• The batter may appear slightly curdled, but that's normal for this batter so don't worry about it.
• Graduall add the dry mixture to the batter, then stir in the Medium chopped Walnuts.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
• Cool on wire rack and serve at room temperature.

GANACHE FILLED WALNUT CAKE WITH CITRUS CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• To make the cake, blend flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Add milk, butter, and vanilla and beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes, till well blended. Add egg whites and beat another 4 minutes. Fold in walnuts. Pour batter into 2 parchment-lined, greased 9" cake pans. Bake at 350 deg F. for 35-40 minutes, till cake tests done. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks for a few minutes, then pop cakes out of pans and continue cooling on racks while you make the filling and frosting.
• To make the ganache filling, melt chocolate and cream together in double boiler, stirring occasionally, till well combined. Place in the fridge to cool for about 30 minutes, until it reaches a spreadable consistency (don't leave it in the fridge too long or it will be ROCK hard!).
• To make the frosting, cream butter and cream cheese with a mixer till well combined and fluffy. Add sugar a bit at a time till a thick, creamy frosting forms. Finally, mix in vanilla and zest. Add more sugar or lime juice as needed to reach preferred consistency.
• To assemble the cake, place bottom layer on plate. Spread ganache filling on top, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edge (this will fill in when you press the top layer down). You will either have a very thick layer of filling or you will have extra ganache to play with. Set top layer over filling and press slightly to stick in place. Spread cream cheese frosting over cake.
• If you're feeling fancy, shave some chocolate with a veggie peeler and sprinkle over the frosted cake.
• Can also make cupcakes with the recipe, just pour batter into lined cupcake pan and bake for slightly less time. Frost with either the ganache or the cream cheese frosting. Would make 12 cupcakes.