Citrus juice and zest lifts up the flavor of nuts, it gives them life. In this cake, walnuts are combined with orange. I still hold onto walnut cakes (walnuts are used a lot in Croatia during Christma holiday baking), but tend to combine it with refreshing citrus flavors, as the days get longer and a bit sunnier. Plus, there’s vitamin C, always welcome :)
Cake layers are made with rough flour. I am not sure whether this type of flour is available in US? As its name suggests, it doesn’t have fine texture like all-purpose flour. You can substitute it easily with all-purpose flour (same amount) if you don’t have rough version.
Recipe is adapted from here.
Walnut orange cake
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
This lovely cake is a beautiful blend of walnuts and citrus, combining the richness of nuts with the refreshing zest of orange.
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (120 g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 g) ground walnuts
- 4 oz (120 g) all-purpose flour
- Zest of 1 orange
- 2 cups (500 ml) milk
- 2.8 oz (80 g) vanilla pudding powder
- 1/2 cup (120 g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 g) butter, softened
- Juice of 1 orange
- 1/2 cup (60 g) chopped walnuts for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
- For the cake layers, separate the egg yolks from the whites. In a large bowl, beat the yolks with 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sugar until the mixture is pale and thick.
- Gradually add the sifted flour, ground walnuts, and zest of 1 orange to the yolk mixture, stirring until combined.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the filling, heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until just about to boil. In a separate bowl, mix the vanilla pudding powder with a little cold milk to make a smooth paste, then add it to the hot milk. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens.
- Remove the pudding from the heat and let it cool slightly. In a mixing bowl, beat together 1/2 cup sugar and softened butter until creamy. Gradually add the cooled pudding to the butter mixture, beating until smooth and well combined.
- To assemble, place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread half of the filling over the cake, then drizzle with half of the orange juice.
- Place the second cake layer on top, spread the remaining filling, and drizzle with the remaining orange juice.
- Decorate the top of the cake with chopped walnuts. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
If you can’t find rough flour, substitute with all-purpose flour. This cake is best served chilled. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For a more intense citrus flavor, add extra orange zest to the filling.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Croatian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 25
- Sodium: 150
- Fat: 18
- Carbohydrates: 40
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 7
- Cholesterol: 120
I loved this, turned out so delicious. I have never made something like this before, but I certainly will again.
Favorite cake recipe, acquired!
Thank you Tamara I made walnut & orange cake it is great recipe .
woooooooo love the cake it taste like jaffa lollies i love the walnuts and curious taste the softness melting in the month as you eat it the filling of the cream so lovely i have made it for my family they just love it so much.
thank you for letting us know!
best,
Tamara
oops sorry about the quick terrible spelling
topdessertrecipes.net seem to be using this picture to entice people onto the website and then just lead ypou through advertising. found the picture on pininterest. Glad i found the real deal. thanks for sharing
This looks delicious!
Thank you ladies! About the flour, a friend of mine who lives in the US told me that this is the type of flour used in this recipe, available in the USA market:
http://robinhood.ca/product-details.aspx?prodcid=44&pid=192
However, I recommend using all purpose flour if you cannot find this!
You’re killing me Tamara – I’m meant to be on a low-carb diet! By rough flour, I wonder if wholemeal flour would work? At least then I can kind of fool myself into thinking it’s lower-carb, right? ;-)
Wow! Your cake looks good. I’m curious about the rough flour, maybe some kind of whole wheat flour?