Photo and recipe from my book American Bakery (Gribaudo Editore)
Hello everyone! The following recipe is for this delicious and beautiful cake that will make your house smell better than one of those $40 autumn-scented candles. Don’t be frightened by the long list of ingredients, they’re mostly spices that you probably already have in the house! And even if you have to go out and buy them , at least you saved $40 on that candle.
Walnut Spice Cake with Maple Glaze
- 2 cups (260 g) cake flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup/ 230g) butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
- 1/3 cup (100 g) maple syrup
- 3 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup (290 g) di panna acida
- 3 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 cup (120 g) walnuts (or mix of walnuts and hazelnuts), chopped and toasted
For the maple glaze
- 4 tablespoons (60 g) butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons whipping cream
- 1 pinch of salt
- scant 1/2 cup (50 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 12 walnut halves, for decorating (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and dust bundt pan with flour
Sift together flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Beat together butter and sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and sour cream alternately in batches, mixing well after each addition.
Beat egg whites in another bowl with cleaned beaters until they just hold stiff peaks, then fold whites and walnuts into batter gently but thoroughly.
Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, and bake until a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then invert onto rack and cool completely.
For the glaze: in a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the maple syrup and whipping cream. When the butter is melted and everything is hot, remove from heat. Add a pinch of salt and the powdered sugar and stir with a whisk until smooth. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before pouring over cake. If desired, decorate with 12 walnut halves.
