This being my first year in my new home, I decided to bake a traditional dessert using an item grown in this part of the country, walnuts. I decided to try my hand at baking a walnut cake using the nuts produced from my own tree. The walnuts from my Black Walnut tree have a different flavor than the ones we see at the grocery stores. Black walnuts have a strong, rich, smoky flavor with a hint of wine. My neighbors warned me of this when I announced I was baking the cake. However, I was determined to make use of a handful of those nuts that have carpeted my backyard. Using a recipe from The Web, I found the cake to be very tasty. But as forewarned, the overwhelming flavor of black walnuts was a bit too much for me. Next time, I think I will go commercial and bake with English walnuts.
When I went searching for a recipe, I came to the conclusion that walnut cakes are not a commonly made dessert. I first looked in my cookbook library, which includes three that were published in the 1960s. No luck. Then I found this recipe after searching The Web.
Walnut Cake
cooksrecipes.com
Cake:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups ground walnuts
Frosting:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup butter, softened
5 to 51/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts, toasted
Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C). Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans; set aside.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk and vanilla. Beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in ground walnuts. Pour into prepared cake pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack to cool completely.
For frosting, beat cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl. Add sugar, mixing well. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Spread between layers and over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts over top.
Store in the refrigerator.
Makes 12 to 16 servings.
