I made this Frosted Walnut Cake for my Grandma´s 90th birthday and she absolutely loved them! This Mary Berry recipe certainly doesn´t fail to impress! It´s the perfect centrepiece for any occasion or celebration!
I apologize for the pictures of this frosted walnut cake, they didn´t turn out quite as nice as I had wanted them, too. A miserable day with miserable lighting…
Three luxurious layers of cake…
Three layers of fluffy walnut sponge, sandwiched with vanilla buttercream and covered in a delicious boiled icing! The icing covering the cake is pretty sweet, so you´ll need a sweet tooth for this cake!
Mary Berry gave this recipe for her Frosted Walnut Cake to the bakers as their first technical challenge in cake week a few years ago. It requires a little skill to get right, but if you follow the recipe carefully you are in for a treat!
I have added a few additional instructions into my method below (you can view the original recipe here) to help you succeed to make this cake yourself!
Use the best ingredients for the best results…
To make the cake, you can use margarine or soft “baking butter” instead of normal butter, which is already perfect for creaming together with the sugar.
For the buttercream, I would recommend using “proper” butter, simply because it has a better flavour. You do have to make sure it is soft though before you use it, so take it out of the fridge in advance or microwave very briefly. Careful when you whisk in the icing sugar (that´s why it´s better to add small amounts at a time), or you´ll find yourself surrounded by a cloud of icing sugar! For more tips and tricks on how to make the perfect buttercream, check out my baking basics post here.
More Recipes
For more cake recipes, why not try making this delicious Carrot Cake Traybake, a Classic Swiss Roll (filled with whipped cream and jam) or Mary Berry´s Lemon Drizzle Cake. If you are up for a bit more of a challenge, you could also try making this French Fraisier Cake or a Black Forest Gâteau (this would be the cake of choice for my grandfather´s birthday!).
Mary Berry´s Frosted Walnut Cake
Recipe
Ingredients:
FOR THE CAKE:
- 225g butter, softened
- 225g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 100g walnuts, chopped
- 225g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM:
- 125g butter, softened
- 250g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp milk
FOR THE BOILED ICING:
- 2 large egg whites
- 350g caster sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 4 tbsp water
FOR THE CARAMELISED WALNUTS:
- 100g caster sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 8 walnut halves
YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
- 3 x 20cm round sandwich tins
- Electric hand whisk
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan. Grease the sandwich tins and line the bottom the bottom with a circle of baking paper.
- Start by chopping the walnuts into small-ish pieces. Weigh out the flour and baking powder and stir in the chopped walnuts to fully coat them in the flour.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually add in the beaten eggs, a little at a time, mixing well in between each addition. It is important to do so in order to prevent the mixture from curdling.
- Carefully fold in the flour and walnuts using a spatula or metal spoon until completely incorporated.
- Evenly distribute the cake batter between the three tins. To be as accurate as you can, I would recommend using a scale to weigh out the amount of batter in each tin (for me, it worked out at about 340g of cake mix per tin). Spread the mixture out evenly and level the surface.
- Bake the cakes in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until they are lightly golden, springy to the touch and start shrinking away from the edges. If you insert a skewer or toothpick into the centre of the cake it should come out clean.
- Leave the cakes to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.
- To make the caramelised walnuts, put the sugar and water into a small saucepan over a low heat. Wait until the sugar has completely dissolved, then turn up the heat and bring the mixture to the boil. Do not stir the mixture otherwise it may crystallise (I know it´s tempting!). Boil it until the mixture turns a deep golden colour (be careful it will be very hot), then remove from the heat and stir in the walnut halves. Pour the mixture onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and separate the walnuts out using a knife to prevent them from sticking to one another. Set aside to harden.
- To make the buttercream make sure your butter is very soft but not melted. Place the softened butter, vanilla extract, one tablespoon of milk and half the icing sugar into a large bowl. Beat until combined, then add in the remaining icing sugar. Beat until pale and smooth and add a little more milk if necessary. You are aiming for a spreadable consistency.
- Place one of the three cakes onto a serving plate/cake stand. Cover the top with half of the buttercream and place a second cake on top. Spread over the remaining buttercream and sandwich the final cake on top.
- To make the boiled icing, pour some boiling water into a saucepan. Place a heatproof bowl over the pan and add in the egg whites, sugar, water and cream of tartar. Using an electric whisk, whisk the mixture for 8-10 minutes until it is thick, glossy and smooth.
- Immediately cover the top and sides of the cake with the icing. Use a palette knife to create a swirled effect. Leave the cake in a cool place (not the fridge) for the icing to set.
- Decorate the cake with the caramelised walnut halves just before serving.
