The Showstopping Maple-Walnut Cake That Tastes Like Fall

This maple walnut cake tastes like fall dressed up for the vacations. Two plush, nutty layers are made with floor walnuts, brown sugar, and maple syrup for deep, toffee-like taste, then stacked and cloaked with swoops of tangy maple–cream cheese frosting. A scattering of walnuts and a drizzle of syrup give it a closing flourish and crunch. It is a festive showstopper for Thanksgiving or any fall gathering, good for anybody who loves cake greater than pie.

The Cake Layers

This cake recipe, which was developed by our colleague Melissa Grey-Streett in our Birmingham, Alabama Check Kitchen, and is as streamlined as it’s spectacular. It begins with grinding walnuts in a meals processor earlier than mixing in flour, leaveners, and the remainder of the substances to make the batter proper in the identical meals processor bowl—a simple method that creates a luxurious crumb with wealthy nutty undertones.

Utilizing oil as a substitute of butter within the batter makes the cake exceptionally moist, since oil stays liquid at room temperature whereas butter companies up as soon as cooled. Buttermilk brings a delicate tang that balances the sweetness, whereas additionally reacting with the baking soda to provide the layers additional raise. Mild brown sugar and maple syrup carry deep, toffee-like sweetness, balanced by the fragrant, floral, and barely citrusy cardamom.

The Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting

Whereas the cake layers characteristic earthy walnuts and heat spices, the frosting offers distinction with its tangy cream cheese base. To begin, chilled cream cheese is crushed with softened butter till clean and totally emulsified. The cream cheese’s cool temperature and dense texture assist create a secure emulsion with the butter, stopping the frosting from turning greasy or too gentle. This construction retains the frosting agency sufficient to unfold neatly and ensures it does not droop as soon as layered on the cake. From there, maple syrup and vanilla enrich the bottom, and confectioners’ sugar provides construction whereas sustaining a gentle, spreadable texture. The result’s a frosting that is fluffy but clean, candy however nuanced, with maple’s caramel notes working by every swirl.

Assembling the Cake

As soon as the cake layers are baked and cooled, it is time for the grand finale. A serrated knife ranges the tops for neat stacking and a clear cross-section, with any trimmings saved for snacking. A beneficiant swoop of frosting between the 2 layers retains them regular, whereas the remainder is unfold freely throughout the highest and sides in gentle swirls. A scattering of candied walnuts provides crunch and shine, their irregular shapes catching the sunshine like fallen leaves, and a closing drizzle of maple syrup ties all of it collectively. It is a cake that celebrates fall in grand type, with layers as inviting because the season itself.

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