Walnut Cake from Vicki Delany

I love to bake, but as I live alone, I rarely get the chance to do so. I love the Great British Baking Show and the Great Canadian Baking Show, but I don’t make what I see on the shows, mainly because I have no one to feed the end results to.  I made this walnut cake that I saw on an older show for Thanksgiving this year. 

This recipe is from Mary Berry. I’ve adapted it for North American measurements and ingredients, and I used buttercream icing on the top and sides as well as in the center, rather than boiled icing for decorating as the recipe suggests.

 So here it is.  Vicki Delany’s version of Mary’s frosted walnut layer cake.

Walnut Cake

Ingredients:

CAKE:

2 cups all purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¾ cup walnuts finely chopped

1 cup (225 g)  butter, softened

2 ¼ cups icing sugar

4 large free-range eggs, beaten

 ICING:

1 cup butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp milk

4 cups icing sugar

 

DECORATION:

1 cup walnuts, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 320 degrees. Grease 3 x 20cm/8in cake tins and line the base of each tin with baking parchment.

Mix the flour, baking powder and walnuts together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs a little at a time.

Fold in the flour mixture. Divide the mixture equally between the 3 tins and level the surfaces.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes are golden-brown and springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes then turn out, peel off the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.

Combine all ingredients to make the icing.  Add more sugar or milk to get the correct consistency. 

Use icing between the layers and on the top of the cake. Spread on sides, if desired and if you have enough.

Sprinkle top with walnuts