Chocolate Walnut Layer Cake Recipes

CHOCOLATE WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Set aside.
• In the top of a double boiler, heat chocolate, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm.
• In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk. Stir in walnuts.
• In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

CHOCOLATE WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray (3) 9 inch cake pans with Pam baking spray.
• In a medium kettle, combine water and sugar. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and whisk in the dark chocolate and butter until melted. Add in oil and vanilla.
• Cool slightly and whisk in eggs one at a time. Then stir in cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Gradually stir in flour a little at a time until just combined. Do not over mix.
• Fold in walnuts.
• Evenly divide batter between prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes.
• In a large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla. Stir in powdered sugar a little at a time. Add heavy cream as needed to reach your desired consistency.
• In a large bowl combine butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Stir in cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt.Add powdered sugar a little at a time, adding heavy cream as needed.
• In a small bowl, combine walnuts and chocolate chips.
• In a small kettle , heat up the heavy whipping cream until steaming. Pour over chocolate chips. Allow to stand for 1 minute before whisking until smooth
• Frost the first cake layer with around 1 cup of frosting.
• Place the second cake layer on top, and repeat.
• Top with the final cake layer.
• Spread chocolate frosting over the top and down the sides of the top layer.
• Coat the bottom of the cake with the walnut/chocolate chip mix
• Drip ganache down the sides of the cake by using a squeeze bottle.
• Pipe dollops of chocolate frosting on top using a star tip.
• Sprinkle with remaining walnut and chocolate chips.

CHOCOLATE-WALNUT TORTE

Steps:

• Heat over to 350°F. Place cooking parchment paper or waxed paper in bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans. In medium bowl, mix walnuts, crushed cookies, brown sugar and butter until crumbly. Spread about 3/4 cup mixture in each pan; reserve remaining mixture.
• In large bowl, beat all cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour about 1 1/4 cups batter over topping in each pan; refrigerate remaining batter.
• Bake about 20 minutes or until tops spring back when touched lightly. Immediately remove from pans to cooling rack; peel off paper. Repeat with remaining topping mixture and batter. Cool completely.
• In chilled large bowl, beat whipping cream, granulated sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Place 1 cake layer, walnut side up, on serving plate; spread with about 3/4 cup of the filling. Repeat with remaining layers and filling.
• Or place whipped cream for top layer in decorating bag fitted with star tip number 6. Pipe rosettes in center of cake; garnish with chocolate leaves. To make chocolate leaves, wash and dry leaves. In 1-quart saucepan, melt chocolate chips and shortening over low heat, stirring constantly. Using small brush, brush chocolate about 1/8 inch thick over backs of leaves. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until firm. Peel off leaves, handling as little as possible. Cover and refrigerate torte about 4 hours or until chilled. Store in refrigerator.

BLACK WALNUT LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 3 greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease parchment., Cream butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition. Fold in walnuts., Transfer to prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely., For frosting, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar and enough buttermilk to reach spreading consistency., Spread 1 cup frosting between cake layers. Spread top of cake with an additional 1 cup frosting. Spread remaining frosting in a thin layer over side of cake. Top with additional walnuts and, if desired, orange slices.

COFFEE WALNUT LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch cake pans, and line base of each with parchment paper. In food processor, combine 1/2 cup walnut pieces and sugar. Process to a fine powder. Add butter, flour, baking powder, salt and eggs. Process to a smooth batter.
• Add 2 tablespoons milk to coffee mixture and pour this down feed tube with motor running. Mixture should be just soft enough to drop from a spoon; if not, add more milk. Divide cake batter between two pans. Bake until risen and springy to touch, about 25 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on rack. Remove parchment paper. Cool completely. You may want to level them if they domed in the oven.
• For frosting: Place confectioners' sugar and salt in food processor and pulse until lump-free. Add butter and process until smooth. Add coffee mixture down feed tube and pulse until well blended.
• Place one cake upside down on a plate or cake stand. Spread with about half the frosting. Place second cake right side up on frosting, and cover top and sides in a swirly pattern. Place a walnut half in center of cake, and gently press remaining halves into top of cake, around the edge.

CHOCOLATE WALNUT LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease the bottom and sides of the cake pans liberally with nonstick spray.
• Prepare the cake batter: Combine the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high speed until light and lemon-colored, 5-8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the mayonnaise and water together in a medium bowl; set aside. Finely chop 1/2 cup walnuts and combine with the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, coffee and salt in a medium bowl. Stir 1/2 of the flour mixture and 1/2 of the mayonnaise mixture into the eggs with the mixer on low until well blended. Do not over mix. The less you mix flour, the more tender the cake! Scrape down the bowl and repeat with the remaining flour and mayonnaise mixtures.
• Bake the cake: Fill each cake pan with 1/3 of the batter. Place the pans in the center of the oven. Rotate the pans halfway through cooking. Bake until the center is firm or when the tip of a small knife emerges clean when it pierces the center of each cake, about 16 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1/2 hour before unmolding. Cool completely before frosting.
• Candy the oranges: Cut the orange in half lengthwise (from the stem to navel ends). Continue cutting the orange pieces in half lengthwise until you have 16 wedges. Place the orange wedges in a skillet and fill with enough cold water to cover. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Drain the water and repeat this step to make the peels tender and remove bitterness. Gently remove the wedges from the pan and set aside. Place the sugar, 2 cups water, the cloves and the orange peels into the skillet. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and return the orange wedges to the skillet. Continue cooking over low heat until the syrup thickens and the wedges become translucent, about 45 to 60 minutes. Transfer the wedges to a baking sheet to cool.
• Make the frosting: Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and the cream in a small pot to warm over medium heat. When the cream simmers, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes, then whisk gently until the chocolate blends with the cream. Cool completely. Blend the confectioner's sugar, butter and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor until smooth, 5-8 minutes. Stir the cooled chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture until smooth.
• Frost the cake: Chop 1 cup of walnuts; set aside. Place one cake round, top side down, onto a serving platter. Top with 1/4 of the frosting letting some of it spill over the top to coat the sides. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the walnuts on top of the frosting. Repeat with the next cake layer. Place the final layer on top of the other two, bottom side up, then coat the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of walnuts and the candied orange wedges.
• Note: Prepare the cake using a cake mix with 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts added to the batter before baking in place of the scratch cake, if desired.

MOTHER'S WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter, shortening and granulated sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk and vanilla. Beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in ground walnuts. , Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. , For frosting, beat cream cheese and butter. Add confectioners' sugar; mix well. Beat in vanilla until smooth. Spread frosting between layers and over the top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with walnuts. Refrigerate.

DARK CHOCOLATE WALNUT LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• FOR CAKE:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line with waxed paper. Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted. Cool.
• Sift flour and baking soda into small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy. Add both sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in vanilla, then melted chocolate. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions each, beating just until blended after each addition. Mix in walnuts.
• Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 20 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks.
• FOR ICING:
• Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted. Remove from over water. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until smooth. Beat in 2 tablespoons milk. Beat in chocolate. Thin with milk to spreading consistency.
• Cut around pan sides. Turn out cakes; peel off paper. Place 1 cake layer flat side down on platter. Spread 1 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer, flat side up. Spread remaining icing over cake. Press nuts onto sides of cake. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.)

CHOCOLATE WALNUT CAKE WITH COCOA GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line bottom of 13"x9"x2" baking pan with wax paper.
• In a small saucepan, bring butter, water, and cocoa to a boil, stirring constantly, until mixture boils; then remove from heat.
• In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; stir in cocoa mixture.
• Add egg and sour cream; beat on medium speed of mixer until well blended.
• Stir in nuts.
• Pour batter into baking pan.
• Bake until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean (20-22 minutes).
• Cool 10 minutes.
• Remove from pan to wire rack; carefully removing wax paper.
• Cool completely.
• Cut cake into small pieces (2"x1 3/4" each) (cake will be easier to cut if frozen for several hours or up to several days before cutting).
• Place on cooling rack.
• In a small saucepan, bring butter, water, and cocoa for glaze to a boil, stirring constantly, until mixture boils; then remove from heat.
• Cool slightly.
• Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing until smooth; stir in vanilla.
• Spoon glaze over top of each piece of cake, allowing it to run down the sides.
• Let glaze to set; then decorate with icing, if desired.
• Place in foil cups, if desired.