Walnut Cake

Happy Monday everyone!

This week, I decided to share a family cake recipe - our famous (well, my mom's and grandma's) Walnut Cake. You'll see, it`s very easy...and so yummy!

My maternal grandmother's recipe has been influenced by her Greek friends and family members in Egypt - I guess its a version of the Greek's Karidopita (kah-ree-THOH-pee-tah). Regardless, it has been very popular in our household and I have done it quite a few times already...and it's been getting pretty good grades (from my hubby and his family members as well). It is actually one that my brother-in-law and sis-in law very much enjoy...and since they were over for dinner, I decided to bake it, and share the recipe with you :-)

What you’ll need for the cake:

·   ½  pound (1 cup or 227g or 250ml) unsalted butter, softened

·   1  ½  cups sugar

·   6 eggs

·   1  ½  cups flour

·   1  ½  cups of ground (coarsely) walnuts 

·    ½  tsp. cinnamon

·    ¼ tsp. ground cloves (clou de girofle, pour vous les franco) ;)

·   1  ½  tsp. baking powder

For the syrup:

·        1 cup water

·        1 ½ cup (375ml) sugar

·        A few drops of lemon

As easy as 1.2.3...

First start with the syrup (you want to make sure it is cool when the cake is ready...cake will better absorb the syrup if one is cool and the other is hot...so I usually make the syrup, set aside so that is it cool when cake is done ...and still hot).

(Update - just realized I forget to mention to steps to prepare the syrup - it's so simple that I forgot)...simply stir together the water, sugar and a few drops of lemon and bring to boil (medium-high heat). Then, lower the heat and let boil until thick enough (don't make it too thick though...maybe 10 min after coming to boil).

For the cake...

Grease the bottom and the sides of a tube or chimney cake pan. Set aside. Preheat oven at350°F (180°C).

In a large bowl, using electric mixer (preferably), cream the butter and sugar.

Add the eggs, one by one, making sure you beat well between each addition. Mix in dry  ingredients (flour, cinnamon, ground cloves and baking powder). You can mix them all together first in a separate bowl and then incorporate to the butter, sugar and egg mixture if you want. Mix well. 

Incorporate the walnuts and stir/mix just enough until you get a homogeneous batter.

Pour into the the cake pan and bake for about 1 hour.

Let it rest for about 5 minutes (you want to make sure it is still hot...but cool enough to remove from pan). Remove from pan and slowly pour syrup all over... making sure that cake absorbs syrup well...et voilà! 

Bon appétit!

Note: You can add more walnuts on top for decoration...always a winner ;)