Walnut Spice Cake

Cakes with nuts and spice

I’m not sure where the recipe for this walnut spice cake came from – perhaps from one of the many evening cooking courses I did in my youth. The recipe is neatly written by hand in my recipe book, with a date of some decades ago. The cake is reminiscent of the Greek walnut cake, Karathopita, which is often made with breadcrumbs instead of flour, and drizzled with a lemon syrup.

You’ll know, dear reader, that I like dense cakes, made with wholemeal flour, spices, and no icing. However, this is a cake which tastes best with white flour and white sugar (I’ve tried the alternatives). It has a beautiful moist centre and a fabulous crust. I don’t think a cake like this needs icing, but it does benefit from a dollop of double cream and a drizzle of maple syrup. What a beautiful cake to serve (or, better still, to be served) for afternoon tea on Mother’s Day!

If you like cakes with nuts and spice, too, you might like to try this spiced pear and almond cake recipe.

Best wishes,

Amanda

PS: If you’ve tried this walnut spice cake or any other recipe on At Amanda’s Table, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below.  If you’d like to read more, please subscribe to my monthly newsletter for stories, recipes and tips for simple, nutritious meals.

Print Recipe

Walnut Spice Cake

A dense, nutty spiced cake, delicious with a dollop of double cream and a drizzle of maple syrup

Servings: 12 people

Author: Amanda Lawson

Ingredients

• 3 cups plain white flour (450 g)
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 250 g unsalted butter
• 225 g white sugar (1 cup)
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 180 ml milk (3/4 cup)
• 140 g chopped walnuts (1 1/4 cup)
• 1 orange, rind grated
• 2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan-forced).
• Grease and line a round, 5 cm deep, 25 cm diameter springform pan with baking paper.
• Sift flour with baking powder into a medium-sized bowl and add the ground allspice, salt and grated orange rind.
• Cream butter and sugar at a high speed in an electric mixer, then add eggs and beat until light and fluffy.
• At a low speed, add spoonfuls of the flour mixture, alternating with milk.
• At a low speed, add the chopped walnuts.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and cook for about an hour until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
• Cool for ten minutes, then remove from the tin and cool completely on a rack.
• Dust with icing sugar and serve with a dollop of double cream or yoghurt, then drizzle with maple syrup.

Notes

The cake is best served the day it's made. It will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.