walnut cake

walnut cake seemed like a good idea.

now, i'm not saying that in hindsight it wasn't, i just wasn't in love with it either.

first of all, what in the world is a girl like me going to

do with an ENTIRE sheet cake of walnut bread?

it did really have a good flavor when i think about it...

the SEVEN cups of walnuts made for a super rich cake.

and it definitely would fall more in the breakfast category.

(think coffee-cake-like; good with your morning coffee)

honestly, it was just kind of boring.

like it needed some extra flare.

anyway.... here it is :)

ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

6 tablespoons raw sugar, divided

7 cups walnut halves

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups almond flour or almond meal

3/4 cup granulated sugar

6 large eggs

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

whipped cream (optional)

recipe via bon appetit

directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.

butter a 13x9x2" metal or glass baking dish;

sprinkle bottom evenly with 3 Tbsp. raw sugar. set aside.

2. pulse walnuts in a food processor until coarsely chopped. set 2 cups aside.

add all-purpose flour to processor and pulse until walnuts are very finely ground, 1–2 minutes.

add almond flour; pulse to blend. set aside.

3. using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter and granulated sugar

in a large bowl until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes.

add eggs, cream, yogurt, and salt.

4. scrape in seeds from vanilla bean (reserve bean for another use).

beat until well combined, 1–2 minutes.

(see how to do this here)

5. add ground-walnut mixture and beat just to blend.

gently fold in chopped walnuts, being careful not to overmix. 

pour batter into prepared dish; smooth top.

sprinkle with remaining 3 Tbsp. raw sugar.

6. bake until cooked through and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 50–55 minutes.

let cool in pan on a wire rack. serve with whipped cream.

have a great day! :)