Chocolate Walnut Cake
Easy chocolate walnut cake with decadent chocolate ganache frosting and chopped walnuts. This moist chocolate cake with walnuts is perfect for the chocolate lover in your life.
Equipment
- 7.5 inch round cake pan I recommend using silicone cake tins for ease, but you could use traditional cake pans, lined with grease proof paper. This recipe will work fine in 7" or 8" round tins or in similar sized square tins. Other sizes can be used, but baking times will vary.
- large mixing bowl
- hand held electric beater
Ingredients
Ingredients for Cake
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules see note for alternatives
- ¼ cup water warm, recently boiled
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup butter unsalted, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup superfine granulated sugar or caster sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup crème fraîche or mascarpone cream
- 1 cup all purpose flour or plain flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup roughly chopped walnuts plus extra for decorating
Ingredients for Ganache Frosting
- 5 oz dark chocolate finely chopped or in chips
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream or double cream
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175C/155C Fan) and preparing your cake pan. (see notes)
- In a small bowl, mix the hot water with the instant coffee granules until dissolved, then add the cocoa powder. Stir until this is also dissolved then add the vanilla extract. Set this aside.
- Place the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with a handheld electric whisk until light and fluffy. This will take about 3 minutes.
- Add the egg and beat to incorporate. Then add the crème fraîche and coffee cocoa mixture. Whisk until smooth.
- Reserve a couple of teaspoons of the flour and sift the rest into the batter along with the baking soda and salt. Stir with a spatula until just combined.
- Using the reserved flour, coat the chopped walnuts and then add to the batter and fold to distribute.
- Pour the chocolate walnut cake batter into the prepared cake tin and spread evenly. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for about 1 hour, checking occasionally after about 45 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes in the cake pan before turning out to cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before frosting.
- After allowing the cake to cool, make the ganache. Heat the cream in a saucepan until simmering. Allow this to simmer for a couple of minutes until it is just about boiling. Then remove from the heat and pour over chopped chocolate or chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl. Let this sit for two minutes before stirring until smooth.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake in a thin layer or ganache and then add the remaining ganache to the top to create a thick rich chocolatey topping. Decorate with chopped walnuts or walnut halves.
Notes
If using a silicone cake tin, you do not need to grease or flour this. But, if using a traditional cake tin, I recommend lining with a layer of parchment or grease proof paper to prevent sticking. Alternatively grease and coat with cocoa powder (instead of flour). The cocoa powder will avoid white patches on your chocolate cake from flour!
Nutrition
Calories: 276kcalCarbohydrates: 34.6gProtein: 4.4gFat: 15.4gSaturated Fat: 4.9gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 111mgPotassium: 92mgFiber: 1.2gSugar: 23.4gCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg
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