Molten Walnut Cake Recipe
By
Difficulty: Easy |
Total Time:
40 mins
|
Active Time:
|
Makes:
1 cake (8 to 10 servings)
Like a flourless chocolate cake, this walnut cake has a soft center and pairs great with ice cream. At Le Réfectoire in Paris, they serve it with yogurt ice cream.
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 2 1/2 cups shelled, toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat oven to 375°F and arrange rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9 1/2-inch cake pan. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda to aerate and break up any lumps; set aside.
- Cream sugar and butter by mixing with an electric mixer on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add the flour and mix until just incorporated (don’t overmix—there will be a few lumps left). Fold in the walnuts until just incorporated; set aside.
- Beat the egg whites until they just reach firm peaks, then fold into the batter until just incorporated (it’s fine to leave a few pockets of egg whites).
- Turn the batter into prepared cake pan and bake in the heated oven until a cake tester inserted into the outside edge of the cake comes out clean and the center is still slightly soft, about 20 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Beverage pairing: Blandy’s Malmsey 5 Years Old Madeira, Portugal. A nut cake deserves a wine that has the essence of nuts in it, just like this young Madeira, which brings flavors of roasted nuts, spices, and molasses. It can be drunk chilled alongside the cake, or even poured over it.
This recipe, while from a trusted source, may not have been tested by the CHOW food
team.
Wow, wonderful recipe! I actually made half the recipe and baked it in 4 ramekins, which still took nearly the full baking time cited in the recipe. I was concerned when the batter was quite stiff, and folding in the egg whites was tricky. I thought maybe I'd deflated the whites too much, but a lovely transformation occured in the oven and they baked up high, like a souffle. Thank you for this...+READ
Wow, wonderful recipe! I actually made half the recipe and baked it in 4 ramekins, which still took nearly the full baking time cited in the recipe. I was concerned when the batter was quite stiff, and folding in the egg whites was tricky. I thought maybe I'd deflated the whites too much, but a lovely transformation occured in the oven and they baked up high, like a souffle. Thank you for this tasty variation on molten cake.-COLLAPSE
Thanks, Aidam! I was unsure because I know from experience how little time it takes for molten chocolate cake to go from molten to merely a little soft. I may try this in individual serving sizes as well, because those are so appealing.
Amyzan - You want to cook it until about 2/3 of the cake has set yet the center is still soft; however, it should not be totally batter-y and undercooked. You are going for the same effect as you would have with a molten chocolate cake or the inside of a properly made souffle. Seeing as there is only 1/2-inch differnce between the pans, it should be roughly the same cooking time though you may...+READ
Amyzan - You want to cook it until about 2/3 of the cake has set yet the center is still soft; however, it should not be totally batter-y and undercooked. You are going for the same effect as you would have with a molten chocolate cake or the inside of a properly made souffle. Seeing as there is only 1/2-inch differnce between the pans, it should be roughly the same cooking time though you may need 5 to 10 more minutes seeing as the batter will be distributed differently.-COLLAPSE
Could you give us a source for a 9 1/2 inch cake pan, or perhaps suggest a baking time for a standard 9 inch pan?