Walnut Cake is a deliciously easy recipe. The cake is so soft and fluffy! There's also a recipe for a lovely vanilla frosting.
You can make this as a round cake or a loaf, instructions for both. Freezer friendly too. This would also make a nice cake for the holidays!
Walnut Cake! What a wonderful cake!
For this recipe, I've used one of my basic cake recipes and adjusted it to get a lovely fluffy texture and accommodate the walnuts inside the cake.
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It is a light, fluffy sponge cake, a bit like eating clouds, and the flavor is very delicious. The addition of a simple vanilla buttercream frosting adds another dimension to each bite, so all in all, this is a very nice eat!
... and of course, it goes perfectly with a lovely cup of tea.
This walnut cake uses 2 round cake tins, which means I can make a sandwich cake with the frosting in between the layers and then on top too. However, this cake will also cook very well as a loaf cake, so if you prefer that, all you need to do is take note of the longer cook time.
Otherwise, everything else stays the same.
The cake itself is not sickly sweet, because the buttercream frosting has vanilla, which adds extra sweetness, and not too much sugar. If you do have a particularly sweet tooth, I would suggest you taste the frosting as you are making it and add a little more sugar to your taste.
This walnut cake will also freeze very well, so if you needed to make ahead, or perhaps you wanted to freeze in portions, then all you need to do is wrap it very well in some parchment and then airtight in a zip bag and simply defrost to room temperature when you wish to eat it.
So let's see how to make this easy walnut cake recipe! It's by far the best walnut cake recipe I know!
By the way, you can also add 2 - 3 tablespoons of Expresso coffee in the batter if you wanted a variation. See our Coffee Walnut Cake recipe. It's delicious! That is also a nice combination which I have made several times.
If you love walnuts, check out our delicious Walnut Butter Cookies. They go perfect with your morning tea or coffee!
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
30 - 35 minutes OR 1 hr for a loaf pan
Yield
12 Persons
Ingredients
The Cake
1 cup or 250 g butter, softened
1 cup or 200 g Regular or Castor Sugar
1 ½ cups or 190 g AP flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
⅓ cup or 80 ml Milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¼ Cups or 140 g Chopped walnuts
The frosting
5 oz or 150 g Softened Butter
2 ½ Cups or 300 g Powdered/icing sugar *** Please note, you may wish to increase this amount if you have a very very sweet tooth.
1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 160 C, 325 F. Grease and lightly flour two 8 inch or 20 cm loose-bottomed round cake tins. I always like to place a disc of parchment in the base of each tin so the cake comes out very easily. You can also use our easy pan release recipe if you don't have any parchment paper.
2. Sift flour, salt and baking powder. Chop the walnuts. Make sure the pieces are NO LARGER than pea size. Any bigger and they will sink to the bottom during baking.
3. Lightly beat eggs and add vanilla in a bowl. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
** NOTE: Creaming the butter and sugar is VERY important to get a fluffy texture to the cake crumb. Please make sure you use your mixer and cream until you see the color of the butter turn almost white. It will take you around 5 - 7 minutes for this to happen, and it is worth the extra time taken!
4. Add egg mixture, a little at a time to the batter. Then add half the flour, then milk, then the rest of flour. Add the walnuts and make sure they are well combined and distributed.
5. Transfer the cake batter mixture equally into the 2 baking tins and bake 30 - 35 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. If using a loaf pan, keep the same temperature, and bake for about 1 hour to 1 hr 10 minutes. Again, check for doneness.
6. . Allow the cakes to rest for 2 minutes then remove from pans and place UPSIDE DOWN on a cooling rack. Allow to COMPLETELY cool before frosting.
*** Please note, bake times will vary slightly so please check for doneness after 25 - 30 minutes of baking.
For the Buttercream Frosting
7. Add the softened butter (it MUST be softened) vanilla and powdered sugar to a mixing bowl and start by using a wooden spoon to combine.
If you start with an electric mixer the powdered sugar will fly everywhere!! Once combined, use a mixer and beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until you see an almost white colour and the mixture is fluffy.
At this point, taste the buttercream for sweetness. If you want more, just add some more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it is to your liking.
8. When the cakes have COMPLETELY cooled, place the first cake on the plate, then take some frosting and spread evenly over the top. Then add the second cake on top and continue to frost all over the cake, or how you like.
You can simply spread the frosting or use a piping bag if you would like a pretty pattern. You choose!
Make up a cup of tea and enjoy!
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our post. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
Recipe
Walnut Cake
Walnut Cake is a delicious easy recipe. The cake is so soft and fluffy! Recipe also for a lovely vanilla frosting. You can make this as a round cake or a loaf, instructions for both. Freezer friendly too. This would also make a nice cake for the holidays!
Ingredients
The Cake :
- 1 cup or 250 g butter, softened
- 1 cup or 200 g Regular or Castor Sugar
- 1 ½ cups or 190 g AP flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- ⅓ cup or 80 ml Milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ Cups or 140 g Chopped walnuts
The frosting:
- 5 oz or 150 g Softened Butter
- 2 ½ Cups or 300 g Powdered/icing sugar
- *** Please note, you may wish to increase this amount if you have a very very sweet tooth.
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160 C, 325 F. Grease and lightly flour two 8 inch or 20 cm loose bottomed round cake tins. I always like to place a disc of parchment in the base of each tin so the cake comes out very easily.
- Sift flour, salt and baking powder. Chop the walnuts. Make sure the pieces are NO LARGER than pea size. Any bigger and they will sink to the bottom during baking.
- Lightly beat eggs and add vanilla in a bowl. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
** NOTE: Creaming the butter and sugar is VERY important to get a fluffy texture to the cake crumb. Please make sure you use your mixer and cream until you see the colour of the butter turn almost white. It will take you around 5 - 7 minutes for this to happen, and it is worth the extra time taken!
- Add egg mixture, a little at a time to the batter. Then add half the flour, then milk, then the rest of flour. Add the walnuts and make sure they are well combined and distributed.
- Transfer the cake batter mixture equally in to the 2 baking tins and bake 30 - 35 mins or until skewer comes out clean. If using a loaf pan, keep the same temperature, and bake for about 1 hour to 1 hr 10 minutes. Again, check for doneness.
- Allow the cakes to rest for 2 minutes then remove from pans and place UPSIDE DOWN on a cooling rack. Allow to COMPLETELY cool before frosting.
- *** Please note, bake times will vary slightly so please check for done - ness after 25 - 30 minutes of baking.
For the Buttercream Frosting:
- Add the softened butter (it MUST be softened) vanilla and powdered sugar to a mixing bowl and start by using a wooden spoon to combine. If you start with an electric mixer the powdered sugar will fly everywhere!! Once combined, use a mixer and beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until you see an almost white colour and the mixture is fluffy. At this point, taste the buttercream for sweetness. If you want more, just add some more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it is to your liking.
- When the cakes have COMPLETELY cooled, place the first cake on the plate, then take some frosting and spread evenly over the top. Then add the second cake on top and continue to frost all over the cake, or how you like. You can simply spread the frosting or use a piping bag if you would like a pretty pattern. You choose!
- Make up a cup of tea and enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 566Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 500mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 1gSugar: 42gProtein: 6g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate
Celebration Cakes
Here's a great selection of celebration cakes perfect for a party!
Cranberry and Pecan Christmas Cake, loaded with delicious fruits and Spiced Rum. A perfect treat for Christmas.
Coffee Walnut Sandwich Cake.
The best coffee and walnut cake, a classic British afternoon tea cake, layers of soft and fluffy coffee cake with chopped walnuts throughout, adds a great flavor and texture, frosted with coffee cream cheese frosting. A pure delight to eat!
Authentic German Black Forest Swiss Roll, a light sponge cake famous in Germany. Layers of chocolate cake, cherries, kirsch & fresh whipped cream in a cake roll.
Salted Caramel Celebration Cake is perfect for a party. Homemade layers of soft caramel cake and layers of salted caramel frosting then topped with chocolate covered pretzels and salted caramel popcorn.
Orange or Clementine Ricotta Cheesecake. A lovely crustless baked dessert. Light and airy cheesecake, topped with zesty sweet homemade orange curd and fresh whipped cream.
Celebration Coconut Cake.
Perfect for a celebration, this coconut cake is made up of layers of soft coconut cake sandwiched between lemon curd then frosted with a light and airy coconut frosting.
Toasted Coconut Cupcakes.
Deliciously light and fluffy coconut cupcakes, with a coconut cream cheese frosting. Simple easy recipe for how to make perfect, moist cupcakes, ideal for parties and celebrations
Honey Bun Cupcakes are lovely and soft with great flavors of cinnamon and brown sugar and topped with a homemade honey buttercream frosting
Cherry Almond Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a lovely soft cake and great tasting. Perfect for parties too!
Coffee Walnut Cake is a deliciously easy soft and fluffy cake recipe. Recipe also for a lovely vanilla coffee frosting. A nice cake for the holidays!
A simple, easy chocolate loaf cake recipe is moist, rich and chocolatey. Perfect for new cooks and is a go to basic recipe
The Famous Hummingbird Cake! A very popular soft and moist cake with pecans, bananas, pineapples, and a delicious frosting too!
Strawberry and Coconut Poke Cake with Fresh Whipped Cream. Easy made from scratch recipe. Yummy!
Fluffy Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake is a lovely baked dessert and so light and airy. Perfect for Easter, Mother's Day or any time of the year! It's out of this world delicious!
Easy Red Velvet Party Cake recipe with a lovely cream cheese frosting. Soft, fluffy and so delicious! Make as a sheet or round cake, you decide
Chocolate Latte Cake. A soft and moist cake with the flavors of a latte coffee and a hit of chocolate for good measure! Nice and easy recipe too!
Strawberry and Vanilla Cake. A soft and moist cake bursting with delicious strawberry and vanilla flavors. It tastes out of this world!
Authentic German Black Forest Cake, Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte is a delicious cake famous in Germany. Layers of chocolate cake, black cherries and kirsch. Perfect for a party!
Carrot Cake Cheesecake. Simply a Show Stopping Wow!
Caramel Marshmallow Cake, soft, moist cake recipe, with caramel and marshmallows and topped with a fresh whipped cream frosting. Great for celebrations, parties and dessert
Tiramisu Pound Cake, a soft and delicious pound cake with all the flavors of a Tiramisu! It's even got a mascarpone frosting. This will go fast so be sure to make two!
Pineapple and Coconut Poke Cake.
A delicious pineapple combined with creamy coconut cake recipe, topped with fresh whipped cream and more coconut, making a soft and fluffy great tasting tropical cake
Italian Cream Cake is a delicious tender made from scratch cake bursting with coconut, vanilla, and pecans, with cream cheese frosting. A perfect celebration cake
Almond Joy Cake. A delicious chocolate cake with almond and a coconut frosting. Always a hit and so popular!
Nanny's Chocolate Fudge Brownie Cake is a keeper recipe! Easy to make and perfect for chocolate lover's.This is also freezer friendly if you wanted to make into portions or make ahead for a party!
White Chocolate Salted Caramel Cheesecake is a delicious baked cheesecake, rich and creamy with a white chocolate filling and a salted caramel topping. Easy to make.
Limoncello Tiramisu. A delicious twist on the classic Italian coffee tiramisu dessert using blueberries, lemon, and limoncello, all homemade and perfect for parties.
Strawberry Shortcake Cake, a wonderful refreshing classic sponge cake packed with fresh strawberries and a whipped cream frosting.
If you love baking, try out this delicious Blueberry & Lemon Crumble Cake. It's a really easy recipe and you can serve these alongside an Afternoon Tea with your Walnut Cake.
Daniella
says:Would it be ok for me to put them in 9 inch pans instead I haven’t made it yet but I’m planning
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Daniela, yes you can use 9 inch pans. However, be aware the cakes won’t be as deep and the cook time will be a little less. Otherwise, it’s fine!
Daniella
says:Hello! I’m about to make it with my dad as a birthday cake and what cooking time would you recommend.
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Daniella, Happy Birthday to your dad!
If baking in 2 tins, 160C/ 325F for around 30 minutes.
Hope that helps. Enjoy your day
Sous
says:Hello there ive made this recipe 3 times in two weeks as its always amazing my daughter’s birthday ia in a week and i thought ill make that cake but instead of the chopped walnuts ill add sprinkles! Would that work?
Lovefoodies
says:Hi there, so happy you enjoy the cake! You can leave out the walnuts, no problem.
The only thing I am
Thinking with the sprinkles is they might dissolved into nothing when being cooked. So save some for the top if that happens and at least you can sprinkle them over the frosting!
Tania Dawson
says:Hi, just made this cake but used a loaf tin instead. Put it in the oven at the correct temperature, went to check it about an hour in and it was black. I have lost my taste and smell so couldn’t smell it burning. However, when I removed it from the tin it hadn’t cooked. I’ve had to put it back in with foil over the top and will skim the burnt top off. Any suggestions where I went wrong?
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Tanya, sorry to hear something’s gone wrong. I’m not sure what the problem could be other than is your thermostat on the oven correct? I ask this because everything else is the same as the recipe for 2 round pans, only the cook time for a loaf is around 45 – 50 minutes. There shouldn’t be any reason for your cake to turn out as you’ve described if you’ve followed the recipe. I make this cake many times. Perhaps check through the ingredients again and make sure you added the correct amounts of everything?
Helen Durrant
says:I’ve just made this cake, and it came out pretty much the same as Tanya described. Made it in a loaf tin, took it out after over an hour & the bottom hadn’t cooked at all. I took it out of the tin, turned it over & put it back in the oven for 20mins at 200, and loads of fat came out of it. Doesn’t taste satall sweet either. Bit of a disaster! Don’t think I’ll make it again, sorry
Sophia
says:This is my second time making this cake recipe I must say it is always amazingly fluffy and tasty. If you follow instructions with the cups you won’t go wrong. Every time I make it is enough for both containers and always bakes to a fluffy soft consistency! Thank you guys! :)
Mary
says:It’s been awhile since I’ve made a cake from scratch, but the measurements seem a little off to me. My cake turned out very dense and tasted way too salty, not sweet in the least. Also, as others have mentioned, it didn’t make a lot of batter. I went back over the recipe to make sure I did everything according to the recipe. Don’t think I’ll try this one again.
Connie Braswell
says:Will this recipe work with black walnuts
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Connie, yes of course! It’ll taste delicious!
pamela may
says:Will this recipe work in a 9 by 13 pan
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Pamela, yes it will but I would double up the recipe so you have some height to the cake. Enjoy!
Bakers
says:Why does the cake come out almost rubbery and dense? Certainly not able to sell to a customer. Its happened twice before too. And I doubled the recipe.
TL
says:Maybe it was caused by over-mixing the cake batter? I failed before on other cakes for this reason, the cake came out to be dense. Since then I’m more cautious not to over-mix, the cake came out to be light and fluffy :)
Jazmin
says:Absolutely delicious. Best moist. I made it a day ahead. I made a chocolate glaze. Yum yum!!!
Dollar
says:Made this as a birthday cake and it was amazing. Easy recipe to follow and will definitely make again. Thank you!!
Tanya
says:I want to make this cake non dairy, would vegan butter be ok to use?
Tanya akiva
says:I made the cake but it looked like i didnt have a lot of batter. i put it into 2 pans, but it seems like its enough only for one pan, my layers are thin and not thick like yours is
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Tanya, I’m just wondering, if you followed the recipe with the right quantities then was the pan size correct? If it’s a bit bigger then the cake will turn out thinner?
Tanya
says:Followed recipe and used same size pan. But once I put them together with icing, it doesn’t look so bad
Not as high as yours but still descent looking.
Tanya
says:Oh sorry mine are 9 inches, I just checked. Thought they’re 8, thank you for pointing that out@
Katrinka Roberson
says:Absolutely agree–The cake was DELICIOUS but not enough batter to make a higher cake. Next time, I will double the ingredients and use the leftovers for cupcakes.
Tanya
says:4. Add egg mixture, a little at a time to the batter. By batter do you mean the butter and sugar?
Tanya
says:Hi, do you by any chance have a video on this?
Tracy
says:How do I get the frosting white? Mine was just slightly paler than the butter but still not white.
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Tracy, the trick to getting the frosting really pale is to beat it on a high speed and you will see it eventually turn almost white. Hope that helps!
Daniela
says:Thank you for the recipe! It turned amazing! I made it as a birthday cake and everybody said it was delicious!
My husband loves walnuts, so for him it was the gift of all the gifts!
Gomathi
says:Can I replace the walnut to macadamia nut? Will the result same?
Lovefoodies
says:Hi there, yes macadamia nuts will be lovely in this. The only difference will be the colour as macadamias are white but otherwise, it’s no problem at all. Please enjoy!