Hello Sweet Friends!
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve shared a recipe with you all. Anyone interested in an amazing Buttermilk Walnut Cake recipe?
That’s probably a silly question.
So it just so happens that this buttermilk walnut cake is MY FAVORITE CAKE! Which is weird because I’m actually not really a fan of walnuts. So that should tell you just how amazing this cake is!
That’s why I just had to use this buttermilk walnut cake to compete on “Halloween Cake-Off” on Food Network. YEP I did that! The judges Duff Goldman, Waylyn Lucas and Dan Langan LOVED this cake! So it was a definite MUST to share with you all.
Duff said my Buttermilk Walnut Cake was like eating pancakes at IHOP
I’m not sure how much of a compliment that is but who doesn’t love a good IHOP pancake, lol! He also said that if Julia Child and Stephen Hawking had a baby it would be me. Hahaha! I did take THAT as a compliment! If you want to check out our episode of Halloween Cake-Off you can get it on Amazon Prime Video >>> Here <<<. Spoiler alert: My partner Lori Mahoney and I (and my awesome tech team) make a giant 7ft fire breathing dragon cake!!!! I’m not going to tell you if we won, you’ll just have to go watch the episode to find out.
But back to the Buttermilk Walnut Cake
I originally was given a version of this recipe by a bride who wanted this cake for her wedding. It was an old family favorite. When I tested it I fell in LOVE! So this recipe is my version and I think you are gonna Love it too!
The funny thing about this buttermilk walnut cake is that it seems like it would be a dense, heavy, rich cake, But it is not! It has a lovely light fluffy crumb with just the right balance of tang from the buttermilk with the creamy, buttery texture from the finely chopped walnuts. When paired with my Salted Brown Butter Brown Sugar Maple Swiss Buttercream (recipe coming soon), this cake is heaven! Oh and my Salted Bourbon Caramel Sauce will take this cake to a whole other level!!
PRO-Tip: sprinkle some candied walnut pieces between the layers for some lovely crunch and texture.
Note: This recipe uses the creaming method. When we use the creaming method for cake batter it means that you mix the softened butter and sugar together at medium speed to incorporate air, for a light and fluffy texture. Always start with all of your ingredients at room temperature. ALWAYS. This is a super important step in the baking process. Many failures result from trying to combine ingredients that are at different temperatures. Remember! It’s always more accurate to weigh out your ingredients on a scale. If you don’t have a kitchen scale I HIGHLY recommend you get one if you are planning on baking cakes from scratch. You don’t need anything fancy or expensive. This is what I have >> Etekcity Food Scale << . Do yourself a favor and get a scale, it will cut down on cake fails, I promise!
Now let’s get right to this recipe!
Have a Sweet Day!
| Prep Time | 60 minutes |
| Cook Time | 35 - 45 minutes |
| Passive Time | 2 hours |
| Servings |
servings
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- 12 ounces salted butter softened (3/4 cup)
- 21 ounces granulated sugar 3 cups
- 14 ounces cake flour 3 cups
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 large eggs whites & yolks separated
- 12 ounces buttermilk room temp (1.5 cups)
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1.5 cups finely chopped walnuts you can also use pecans
Ingredients
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- Make sure, butter, eggs and buttermilk are at room temperature before starting
- Pre-Heat oven to 350°
- Coat three 8 inch round pans with pan goop (or grease and flour the pans). Line the bottom of the pans with a parchment circle for easy release.
- In a stand mixer (or with hand mixer), cream butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add egg yolks and mix in, scraping bowl once or twice.
- Mix together cake flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl
- Add a third of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar mixture and mix until just incorporated.
- Add half the buttermilk and repeat mixing. Alternate with another third of the flour. Scraping bowl in between and mixing until just incorporated. Repeat alternate adding the buttermilk then the last of the flour.
- In separate bowl beat egg whites until stiff but still glossy
- Gently fold egg whites into batter then fold in the walnuts
- Split the batter evenly between the three cake pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle. It should come out clean. Then gently press in the middle of the cake. It's done when the cake feels firm and spongy and springs back when you press on it.
- Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the rim to release the sides of the cake from the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting
I watched that episode of Cake Off and your dragon was amazing. I really want to try your cake recipe but I need that frosting recipe too. Can you post it soon?
Hi Dilcie! Thanks for watching! I just posted the recipe for the Browned Butter Maple Swiss Buttercream. Happy caking!!
Making this cake this week. Do uou think I can make it into cupcakes?
I can’t see any previous comments, so maybe this was already addressed:
Is the cup measurement provided in the recipe (3/4 cup) for the butter possibly a typo? Each stick of butter (half cup each) I had was about 4 ounces, so 12 ounces of butter would have to be 1.5 cups (3 sticks).
I made this recipe over the weekend and used 3 sticks of butter when creaming with the sugar. The cake was very light, fluffy and far from dry. I would certainly make it again, but would likely reduce the amount of sugar a bit out of personal preference.
Need Frosting recipe for Buttermilk walnut cake pls thks
I think you have the butter quantity wrong . 12 ounces is
1 1/2 cups of butter – 3 sticks not 3/4 cup. I made the cake with 3 sticks of butter and it was perfect