LESLIE BUDEWITZ: This cake is an example of a photograph selling a recipe. We aren’t big cake eaters, and Walnut Cake, by itself, wouldn’t scream “eat me!” But each recipe in Laura Washburn’s The French Country Table is accompanied by a lovely photo, and each recipe we’ve tried has not only turned out well, but closely resembles the professional photos. This is a lovely, nutty cake, not too sweet, iced with a soft, light caramel that melts in the mouth.
The center of my cake sank slightly and was not as thoroughly baked as the rest of the cake, which I attribute to altitude—we’re at about 3,400 feet. Next time, I’ll add 1-2 tablespoons of flour, but keep the heat and baking time the same. Mountain friends, you're warned.
I made this for my birthday earlier this month. Tomorrow is Erin Murphy’s birthday—yes, she shares it with that other, better known fellow. To celebrate, I’ll give one lucky reader winner’s choice of any of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries. Leave a comment below to join the party.
By the way, I can assure you that when Mr. Right said this goes well with coffee for breakfast, he’s right.
Walnut Cake — Gâteaux aux noix
Adapted from The French Country Table by Laura Washburn
Cake
1 stick, plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeded with a small sharp knife
4 large or extra-large eggs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus 1-2 T above 3,000 feet)
1 cup walnuts, ground
10-12 walnut halves, to decorate cake top
Caramel Frosting
½ cup sugar
a squeeze or a few drops of lemon juice
3 T water
2/3 cup heavy cream
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan.
Beat butter and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Scrape in the vanilla seeds. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Gently stir in the flour and ground walnuts. Spread into cake pan.
Bake 30 minutes, or until golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly, then turn on to a flat surface and turn again onto your serving plate. Allow to cool before frosting.
To make the caramel, in a small, heavy saucepan, cook ½ cup sugar, lemon juice, and water over medium heat, stirring until mixture turns a light caramel color, about 10-12 minutes. Pour in the cream slowly, careful of spatters. Stir over heat until blended, cooking another 2-3 minutes.
When the cake is cool, slowly pour the caramel over the cake in a thin, even layer. (If you’d rather not have a slight rim of caramel around the edge of the cake, place it on a wire rack, with a baking sheet beneath to catch the drips.) Place 8 walnut halves around the cake, so each piece is decorated with one walnut half, and cluster 3-5 in the center of the cake.
Allow cake to sit 2-3 hours before serving, so caramel can set.
Serves 8.
Tell me, friends, has a photo ever convinced you to make a recipe you'd have otherwise glossed over? What's your favorite (edible) birthday treat? Leave a comment (with your email address) for a chance to celebrate Erin's birthday -- and mine! -- and win your choice of a Food Lovers' Mystery. (Mr. Kitten will pick the winner Thurs, March 18.)
Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries, and the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories. Death al Dente, the first Food Lovers' Village Mystery, won Best First Novel in 2013, following her 2011 win in Best Nonfiction. Her first historical short story, "All God's Sparrows," won the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story. Watch for her first standalone suspense novel, Bitterroot Lake (written as Alicia Beckman) in April 2021 from Crooked Lane Books.
A past president of Sisters in Crime and a current board member of Mystery Writers of America, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.
Swing by her website and join the mailing list for her seasonal newsletter. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.
The photos definitely help me decide whether to try a recipe or not. My favorite birthday treat is my mom's strawberry layer cake. Thanks for the contest! I'd love to win As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles, please. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos always make the food look so enticing. It is hard to replicate the original though. My favorite birthday treat is a marble cake which is yummy and devoured immediately. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteThe picture will help me decide whether to make something or not. If it doesn't look appealing, I will leave it. I'd love to win Death al Dente. 3labsmom(at)gmail(dot)com.
ReplyDeleteThat looks delicious. I'll have to make it and share some with my mother. My grandparents always had walnut trees so they used walnuts on everything. She still has several jars of nuts frozen to stay fresh.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite cake as a kid was black forest cake. Mom didn't make it a lot because it took all day to make, so it was a special treat when she did.
kozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com
A walnut tree -- what a treat!
DeleteI love looking at gorgeous photos of desserts or meals. The delectable treats are lovely. I try to duplicate them but I cannot make that perfect image. For a birthday I enjoy creating a lemon cake, tart and filled with love. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteAh, yes -- love. The secret ingredient that spices up everything!
DeleteI think I agree with Mr. Right. This looks like the perfect weekend breakfast treat. The pictures and name of the dish do influence me when I'm looking at a new recipe, probably just like with a book. My favorite birthday treat would be just one (large) piece of homemade white cake with 7-minute frosting like my mom used to make. So sweet and I seem to be the only one who likes it anymore, but it's yummy!
ReplyDeletesallycootie(at)gmail(dot)com
I am often seduced into trying a recipe from looking at photos and food descriptions. My forays led by photos are hit-and-miss. There have been good results and epic fails. Was charmed by the walnut cake photo and flavor profile. It looks lovely and unfussy, and we love nuts.
ReplyDeletelittle lamb lst at yahoo dot com
"Unfussy" is the perfect description, Lil, though you do need to let the cake cool completely before icing it so the caramel forms a layer on top instead of sinking in. I admit, part of the reason I love Washburn's book is that when I make the recipes, they really DO look like her photos!
DeleteI often make recipes because of a photo I've seen in a cookbook or magazine. This walnut cake looks delicious and not too difficult. I would definitely enjoy it on my birthday. Looks like one I'm going to try.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
Enjoy! Part of its appeal -- esp with morning coffee! -- is that it's not too sweet, even with the caramel.
DeleteMany photos right here on Mystery Lovers Kitchen have induced me to make the recipe! And they've all been tasty, too. The last MLK recipe I tried was Mary Jane's delicious cheesy beer bread.
ReplyDeleteWe also have walnut trees, but they're American Black Walnuts, deuced hard to crack open, and seriously messy. I love them, but my husband, naturally, prefers English walnuts. Go figure. But I'd use either for this cake.
k maslowski at fuse dot net
Oh, gosh, yes -- black walnuts are tough nuts! I remember as a kid when were given a bag and I was assigned the task of sitting on the back steps with a hammer to crack them open!
DeleteMany photos have enticed me to make the recipe. My favorite birthday treat would be yellow cake with chocolate frosting. bella_ringer@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteI'm a visual person, so the photos always help me decide whether or not to try a recipe. My favorite birthday treat is my mom's pound cake.
ReplyDeleteturtle6422 at gmail dot com
It’s usually the description. Occasionally photos will catch my eye. My favorite birthday treat is German chocolate cake. suefoster109 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteHi Leslie! I love walnuts and this cake does look delicious. I have definitely tried recipes based on how they appear in cookbooks. My dishes haven't always looked like the glossy photograph, but yours looks great!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tina! The trick for the finished cake pieces turned out to be to photograph it the next day, in daylight and when the icing had set more thoroughly.
DeleteI have tried a few based on how great the picture looks. Most of the time I can make it taste good, but it never looks like the picture. JL_Minter(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteOf course, many food photos are heavily styled and lit just so. But food is visual, so it's important to make it look enticing to ourselves!
DeleteI have tried some recipes based on great photographs. My favorite birthday treat is homemade chocolate peanut butter cups.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
I have tried recipes based on the picture. Of course mine never looks like theirs but it’s a try!! My favorite birthday treat is a white chocolate cheesecake, especially with some kind of topping. Linda. Sissie_sue@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI make recipes based on their pictures. Mine doesn't always turn out like the beautiful recipes but I tried. Haha! My favorite birthday cake is a coconut cake!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance!
jarjm1980(at)hotmail(dot)com
That dessert looks amazing. Basically my birthday treat is whatever I am craving that year. Some years it has been cheesecake and others chocolate cake. cherierj (at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI like the way you think!
DeleteLove photos of recipes that include nuts! I actually grew up in a walnut orchard that my dad and uncle owned! Thanks for the chance to win this book! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteFavorite birthday treat is Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom
ReplyDeleteYes, pictures do help! For my birthday I want either Red Velvet Cake or Lemon Icebox Pie from the Original Whistle Stop Cafe Cookbook by Fannie Flagg. Since my birthday is in August I generally have the Lemon Icebox Pie unless someone else bakes the Red Velvet cake. Thank you for the giveaway. madamhawk at g mail dot com
ReplyDeleteJust don't have the ribs ... :)
DeleteThe picture will but then the ingredients will help me decide if I will make it or not. I have made some recipes from the books I have read and they have been big hits with my family. Thank you for a chance at the giveaway. pgenest57 at aol dot com
ReplyDeleteMy birthday was on the ninth and my favorite cake is carrot cake! This recipe looks good also, thanks for posting it! tWarner419(at)aol(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Carrot Cake! Here's the Carrot Graham Layer Cake I made last year: https://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2020/03/carrot-graham-layer-cake-recipe.html
DeleteI think that the walnut cake sounds like a perfect pairing for a dark tea or coffee! I refuse to buy a cookbook without recipes because I like the pretty pictures but I will try to make almost any cozy mystery recipe just because I love the stories. My favorite cake is a black forest, all three wonderful parts, chocolate, cherries, and whipped cream! Thank you for your generosity! tracy(dot)condie(at)gmail(dot)come.
ReplyDelete