Advertisement

Bake this layered walnut cake, then check out our coffee and walnut cake, date and walnut cake, banana and walnut loaf, coffee cake and more afternoon tea recipes.

Ingredients

  • flavourless oil
  • 85g walnut kernels, plus 8 walnut halves for decoration
  • 170g butter, softened
  • 170g golden caster sugar
  • 3 medium eggs, beaten
  • 170g self-raising flour, sifted

buttercream filling

  • 115g butter, softened
  • 85g icing sugar, sifted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

boiled icing

  • 285g golden caster sugar
  • ¼ tsp glucose syrup
  • 2 medium egg whites
  • a few drops vanilla extract

Method

  • STEP 1

    Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Lightly oil two 20cm sandwich tins. Line the base of each with baking paper. Lightly oil.

  • STEP 2

    To make the walnut cake, roughly chop 85g walnuts using a sharp knife, and saving all their crumbs. They should be smaller than the chopped walnuts you can buy.

  • STEP 3

    In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, then gradually beat in the first two eggs. Fold in 1 tbsp of flour, then beat in the last egg. Tip in the flour and walnuts and lightly fold into the butter mixture. Divide evenly between the two sandwich tins and smooth over the surface.

  • STEP 4

    Bake for 20 minutes or until the sponge springs back when lightly pressed and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn out and peel off the baking paper. Leave until cold. To make the buttercream filling, beat thebutter until pale and fluffy, then beat in theicing sugar and a few drops of vanilla extract,to taste. Once the cakes are cold, sandwichthem together with the butter cream.

  • STEP 5

    To make the boiled icing, put the sugar in a saucepan, add 150ml water and clip a sugar thermometer on to the side of the pan. Set over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the glucose syrup. Bring to the boil and, when it gets very close to 116C, start whisking the egg whites to stiff peaks using an electric whisk. As soon as the syrup reaches 116C, continue to whisk as you pour a thin stream of syrup into the egg whites. The mixture will billow up into a thick, opaque meringue and then collapse down again slightly. Whisk in the vanilla, and after a couple of minutes pour the icing over the cake. Don’t leave too long as it thickens as it cools. Using a wet palette knife, smooth the icing over the cake.

  • STEP 6

    Decorate with the walnut halves. Leave for 2-3 hours or until the icing is firm.
    *Recipe adapted from National Trust Simply Baking by Sybil Kapoor (National Trust Books, £25)

  • STEP 7
Advertisement

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

Overall rating

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement