Imagine a cake whose crumb is fine, moist, and rich, and as you bite into it, you get this delicious toffee flavour and crunch of caramelised walnuts paired with the creamiest yet light caramel butter cream. If you love walnuts and everything buttery, this cake recipe is perfect for you. And even if you have never tried this recipe combination, I guarantee it will become a new favourite.
Caramelised walnut layered butter cake
This recipe is easy to make and straightforward, with ingredients easily sourced from your pantry. It yields 500 grams of butter sponge and about 250 grams of butter frosting. After assembling and trimming, the final product comes out to around 600 grams.
You start with caramelising the walnuts, making a butter cake batter with these walnuts, and preparing your butter frosting. Once all the elements are ready, you need to assemble them, and you are done!
Step-by-step recipe guide
Preparation time - 1 hour
Baking time - 35 to 40 minutes
Serves: 3 to 4
Ingredients
For the caramelised walnut
50 gms sugar
10 gms water
30 gms walnut (roughly chopped)
For butter cake
150 gms butter
120 gms superfine sugar
3 eggs
150 gms all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salted caramel flavouring (optional)
For frosting
150 gms butter
25 gms milk
90 gms superfine sugar
For garnish
Whole walnuts
Method
To prepare the caramelised walnuts, place the sugar and water in a pan and bring it to a boil. Simmer the mixture until it turns golden brown, scraping the sides of the pan during the process. Once the caramel has formed, remove it from the flame and add the chopped walnuts, ensuring that all the walnuts are covered with the caramel. Transfer the caramelised walnuts to a silicone mat and spread them out.
Preheat the oven to 170°C to 180°C to prepare the cake and a 6-inch baking pan. In a bowl, whisk the butter until it is light and creamy, gradually adding sugar in parts while continuing to cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the caramel flavouring. Once all the sugar is incorporated, add the eggs one at a time, continuing to cream the mixture until it becomes pale, smooth, and fluffy like whipped cream. Fold the flour and baking powder using a spatula; then, the caramelised walnuts are broken into smaller pieces.
Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan and place it in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven when the top turns light brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes clean. While the cake cools, prepare the butter frosting. In the same pan used to caramelise the nuts, heat the milk until it boils, making sure that all the remaining caramelised sugar melts in the milk.
In a clean bowl, whisk the butter until it becomes fluffy; add the milk mixture and continue whisking until it becomes light and fluffy. Let the mixture set in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
Trim the top of the cake and divide it into two equal slices. Remove the top layer and spread half of the butter frosting evenly. Place the other slice on top and spread the remaining frosting evenly on this layer. Let it set in the fridge for half an hour.
Remove the cake from the fridge and trim the sides with a sharp serrated knife. Decorate it with walnuts or as desired and serve it cold.
Tips:
1. Work quickly with the caramel, as it hardens fast once it's off the heat.
2. You can use an electric whisk or stand mixer to cream the butter. This will make the batter-making process easier.
3. Instead of walnuts, you can use any other nuts.
4. Make sure the cake is completely cool before slicing and frosting.
5. If you live in a humid region, refrigerate the cake after applying each butter frosting layer to keep it stable.
What would you like to learn about cooking and baking from Chef Namrata? Tell us at at food@gulfnews.com.
