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By now, I’m sure you know of my love for The GBBO. See exhibits A and B. Today’s Maple Walnut Layer Cake is again courtesy of Benjamina Ebuehi’s A New Way to Cake*. I followed her recipe to a T and have included it below. But I also have a few tips on how to enjoy this occasion cake regularly.
Notes on Method
Layer cakes get messy. Leveling down tops to even the layers and cleaning up multiple baking pans can be tedious. So, I have a few options.
A good ratio to bear in mind: ¼ of the batter will bake to golden brown in about 20-25 minutes. ½ the batter will bake to golden brown in about 40 minutes.
Options:
1 small coffee cake:
Make ⅓ of the recipe, pour batter into an 8×8 or 9×9 inch square pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
1 medium-sized coffee cake:
Make ½ of the recipe. Pour batter into a deep 8 or 9 inch round pan. Bake until the cake is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean – about 40 minutes.
1 four-layer cake:
Make the full recipe. You will need at least two baking pans of equal size. I used 9-inch round cake pans. Please see the above notes on other size options and baking times.
Here is how I baked my four-layer cake:
I have three 9-inch round cake pans. So, I filled the deepest cake pan with half of the cake batter and baked it for about 40 minutes. I divided the remaining batter evenly between the other two pans and baked them for about 20 minutes. Once the cakes were completely cool, I used a serrated knife to cut the larger cake in half.
Notes on Ingredients
I find the cake combined with the maple cream is a perfect balance of textures, flavors, and sugar. Still, you could forgo the maple cream. But I wouldn’t forgo the maple syrup in the Maple Walnut cake. Side note: I grew up on synthetic syrup, and my palate prefers it to pure maple. That was until I tried this one*. I am now a convert. Make the walnut cake, slice yourself up a serving, and drizzle some maple syrup over it. Trust me.
Notes on Equipment
This cake requires some mechanical help. A stand or handheld electric mixer will help you bake this cake properly. Here is a simple, not expensive, and easy to store option*. Oh, and make your life easier with pre-cut parchment sheets*. You can find them in both rectangular and round cuts.
Maple Walnut Layer Cake
INGREDIENTS
For the Maple Cream
- 240 ml milk - 1 cup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 egg yolks
- 50 g granulated sugar - ¼ cup
- 38 ml maple syrup - 2½ tbsp
- 10 g all-purpose flour - 4 tbsp
- 8 g cornstarch - 1 tbsp
- 15 g unsalted butter - 1 tbsp
- 120 ml heavy whipping cream - ½ cup
For the Cake
- 340 g all-purpose flour - 2¾ cup
- 15 g baking powder - 1 tbsp
- 340 g unsalted butter - 1½ cup
- 340 g granulated sugar - 1⅔ cup
- 6 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 120 ml milk - ½ cup
- 160 g finely chopped walnuts - 1⅓ cup
To Gild the Lily
- powdered sugar
- whole walnuts
METHOD
Maple Cream
- In a medium-size saucepan, bring the milk and vanilla to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and maple syrup until sugar is dissolved and eggs are pale.
- Add the flour and cornstarch to the egg mixture to make a thick paste.
- Continue to whisk and incrementally add the milk to the egg mixture. The slow addition while whisking will temper the eggs and prevent them from scrambbling.
- Once you have incorporated the milk and eggs, pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat, continuously whisk until it is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon - about 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Once the butter is melted, transfer to a clean bowl and place either plastic wrap or parchment paper right on top of the maple custard base. This will prevent a skin from forming. Allow the cream to cool to room temperature. Then chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, take the maple custard base out of the fridge and stir to smooth out any lumps. Then whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled maple custard base.
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare cake pans by greasing and lining with parchment paper (see note 1 below for number of pans)
- In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the all-purpose flour and baking powder.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy - about 3-5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time
- In a small bowl, mix together the milk and vanilla.
- Add half the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix on low speed. Add in the milk. Then add the remaining flour mixture, mix until smooth.
- Stir in the finely chopped walnuts.
- Pour batter evenly into cake tins and bake until golden brown (see note 2 below for timing).
- Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes in cake pan. Then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Assembly and Gilding the Lily
- Use a serrated knife to level any uneven cake layers.
- Place one layer flat-side down on a cake stand. Top with ⅓ of the maple cream. Repeat with the next two layers. On the fourth layer, place the cake top-side down. This will ensure a completely flat top.
- Dust with powdered sugar and decorate with whole walnuts.
NOTES
- The cake is made up of four round layers. I made my cake with 9-inch cake pans, but you can use 8-inch as well. Since I have three 9-inch round cake pans, I had to do a little math while dividing the batter. I poured half the batter into the deeper cake pan. And I split the remaining batter equally between the two shallow pans.
- I had to adjust the baking time for the larger cake. The smaller cakes baked in 20 minutes, and the larger cake baked in 40 minutes. Once the cakes cooled, I used a serrated knife to cut the larger cake in half.
