Nut cream cake

I made this cake for a friend's birthday. I wanted something more homemade, with walnut and coffee cream, without too many decorations. The base is simple, it doesn't need many eggs and doesn't have to be perfectly tall, but it holds the cream well. I happened to melt the sugar on top when I used a stencil for decoration while it was still warm, so patience helps.

Quick Info

Total time: approx. 2 hours (of which 40-50 minutes baking, the rest cooling, assembling)
Servings: 10-12
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

Base:
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups sugar (approx. 400 g, it’s a lot, but that's what the recipe calls for)
- 3 cups flour (approx. 420 g)
- 2 tablespoons soft butter (approx. 50 g)
- 1 packet baking powder (10 g)
- 1 cup warm milk (250 ml)

Cream:
- 1 package butter (200 g, 82% fat)
- 200 g ground walnuts
- 100 g sugar
- 200 ml strong, cold coffee
- 2-3 tablespoons cocoa (I used 2 heaping tablespoons, without peaks)
- 50 g raisins

For assembly and decoration:
- Syrup of choice (I used slightly sweetened and cooled coffee)
- Chocolate sticks for edges (optional)
- Powdered sugar and coconut flakes for decoration

Preparation Method

1. Preparing the base
Preheat the oven to 180°C, bake function top-bottom. Grease a round pan with a diameter of 24-26 cm with a little butter and dust it with flour or baking paper.

2. Mix eggs with sugar
In a large bowl, mix the eggs with the sugar and soft butter until they become frothy and the sugar is no longer felt by hand. Don’t rush, it takes 3-4 minutes.

3. Incorporate flour and the rest of the ingredients
Mix the flour with the baking powder. Add it to the egg mixture, alternating with the warm milk. I added three batches of flour and two of milk. Mix without a mixer, with a spatula or large spoon, so the base doesn’t become too dense.

4. Baking the base
Pour everything into the pan, level it with the back of the spoon. Bake for 35-40 minutes. After 30 minutes, check with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Don’t open the oven in the first 20 minutes.

5. Cooling and cutting
Let the base cool completely in the pan, then remove it onto a rack. When it’s cool, cut it horizontally into two or three layers, as best as you can.

6. Preparing the walnut cream
Put the coffee (made and cooled) in a bowl, add the ground walnuts, cocoa, and raisins. Place the bowl on low heat and stir just until the ingredients are homogenized and the raisins plump up a bit. Don’t let it boil. Remove from heat and let it cool completely.

Separately, mix the soft butter with the sugar until it becomes whitish. When the walnut and coffee mixture is completely cool, gradually incorporate it into the butter cream with a spatula, not with a mixer. This helps to prevent the cream from curdling.

7. Assembling the cake
Place the first layer on a platter. Soak it lightly with the chosen syrup, without excess. Spread half of the cream (or a third if you cut into three layers). Place the next layer, repeat the syrup and cream. The last layer goes on top, soak it a little (not much) and cover with the remaining cream and on the edges.

8. Decoration
Apply chocolate sticks on the edge if you want. On top, sprinkle powdered sugar or coconut flakes. You can use a stencil for decoration, but only after the cake is completely cooled and the cream has set in the fridge.

9. Rest in the fridge
Let the cake chill for at least 4-5 hours, preferably overnight. The cream stabilizes, and the base absorbs the flavors.

Why I make this recipe often

This cake is not complicated, and the ingredients are always at hand. The base is quick to make and not fussy. The walnut and coffee cream is rich and holds well in the fridge. I like that it can be adapted based on what I have at home. It cuts well and stays fresh for a few days.

Tips and variations

Tips
- Let the base cool completely before cutting. It’s less crumbly.
- Don’t put the walnut cream over butter that’s too cold, so it doesn’t curdle.
- If the raisins are very hard, you can hydrate them for 10 minutes in warm coffee.
- For a less sweet taste, you can reduce the sugar in the base by 50-70 g.

Substitutions
- The coffee in the cream can be replaced with milk if you don’t want a coffee flavor or it's for kids.
- The butter can be replaced with margarine with 80% fat, but the texture and taste will differ.
- The walnuts can be combined with ground hazelnuts or almonds.

Variations
- You can add grated lemon peel to the base for a slightly tangy note.
- The cream can also include rum or rum essence (1 teaspoon) for a more intense flavor.
- For decoration, you can use candied fruits or chocolate chips.

Serving ideas
- Goes well with an espresso or plain coffee.
- Can be served with unsweetened whipped cream to cut the sweetness.
- As a dessert for holiday meals or birthdays, cut classically.

Frequently asked questions

1. Can I use another type of nuts in the cream?
Yes, you can also use almonds or hazelnuts, but the texture and taste will be slightly different from classic walnuts.

2. What can I use as syrup if I don’t want coffee?
Syrup from compote (for example, sour cherry), milk with a little sugar, or water with a little sugar and vanilla essence.

3. Can I freeze the cake?
I do not recommend it, as the texture of the walnut butter cream does not hold up well to thawing. It can be kept in the fridge for 4-5 days without issues.

4. Does the cake hold up for transport?
Yes, if kept cool beforehand and does not have delicate decorations on top, it transports quite easily.

Nutritional values (estimated per serving, at 1/12 of the cake)

- Calories: 430 kcal
- Fats: 22 g (of which saturated 11 g)
- Carbohydrates: 53 g
- Proteins: 6 g
- Fiber: 2.5 g

It is a dessert rich in fats and carbohydrates, with a considerable intake of nuts. Not suitable for low-calorie diets.

Storage and reheating

The cake can be stored in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days. If kept longer, the base may dry out. It does not require reheating. It is served directly from cold or after 10 minutes at room temperature. You can keep the cut slices in separate boxes if you want to prevent the edges from drying out.

Whisk the eggs with sugar and butter until a fine cream forms, then add the flour mixed with baking powder and the warm milk alternately; pour the mixture into a greased and lined mold and bake for 30-40 minutes, performing the toothpick test. For the cream - in a pot over heat, add coffee, nuts, cocoa, and raisins, mix until well combined, then set aside to cool completely; in another bowl, make a fine cream from butter and sugar, then gently add the nuts. The cooled cake, cut and soaked with any kind of syrup, has cream placed between layers, chocolate sticks on the edges, and is topped with powdered sugar and coconut before being left in the fridge until serving. If you use cake molds, use them at the end; otherwise, you might end up like me, and your sugar will melt.

 Ingredients: DOUGH 2 eggs 2 cups of sugar 3 cups of flour 2 tablespoons of butter 1 baking powder 1 cup of milk CREAM 1 package of butter 200g ground walnuts 100g sugar 200ml brewed coffee 2-3 tablespoons of cocoa 50g raisins

 Tags:  cake cake base walnut cream