Category: walnuts

orange-date walnut loaf

Published on by alisahuntsmanLeave a comment

sometimes, you just have to do something different.  generally, when i go out to the garden, i take a cake with me.  nine out of ten cakes are some configuration of a bundt; they are baked in one of the many fluted/tube pans on my kitchen shelf.  not this time.  this cake was baked in a large loaf pan.

over the years, i have baked date-nut bread many times.  it is a favorite of my husband and me for that matter.  when i realized that i had a large tub of dates in the fridge, hidden there by my husband so that he could snack on them secretly, i knew i had to make a loaf of bread.

orange date-walnut loaf 
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1 (9x5x3) loaf
adapted from desserts from the famous loveless cafe
(a little shameless self promotion, can’t help it…)
1 cup walnut pieces
6 ounces unsalted butter, soft
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup good quality wildflower honey
1 orange-zested
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup chopped dates
2/3 cup sour cream
preheat the oven to 350.  grease and flour a 9x5x3 loaf pan and set it aside.  place the walnuts into a baking dish and toast them until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
in a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, honey, orange zest and salt until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  add the eggs, one at a time and continue to beat until once again light and fluffy-another 2 minutes or so.  scrape the bowl well.
sift the flour and baking soda over the batter in the bowl.  fold it in by hand a few times.  add the walnuts, dates and sour cream and fold the batter until it is evenly mixed.  scrape the batter into the loaf pan.  bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about an hour.  immediately turn the loaf out onto a rack and allow it to cool completely, if you can.  serve slices with soft butter if you like.

maple-walnut upside down persimmon cake

Published on by alisahuntsman1 Comment

on a recent trip out to the garden, this cake accompanied me and was shared among my fellow gardeners.  it is a simple cake that can be made with sweet potato or pumpkin puree if you do not have access to persimmons.  for those of you that have persimmon trees in your yards, be sure to wait until that first frost of fall to gather the fruits.  then after washing them, run them through a food mill to extract the seeds and freeze the puree in sandwich sized zipper bags to make it easy to use in recipes.

the maple syrup is heated with the butter and brown sugar.  when the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, allow it to boil a bit and then pour it into a greased cake pan.

top the glaze mixture with the walnuts, try not to go all the way to the edge of the pan to keep the nuts on the top of the cake-i didn’t do a very good job of that!

persimmon puree looks a lot like sweet potatoes or pumpkin and if you can’t find persimmons, both make a suitable substitute.

using the typical creaming method, this batter mixes up quickly.  after creaming the butter and sugar, the eggs are added.  once the eggs are in, sift the dry ingredients over the batter.  fold it a few times and then sprinkle the buttermilk all over the top and fold it completely until no streaks remain:

so easy!!!

the tough part-spreading the batter over the nuts without moving them.  be sure to allow the cake to sit for about 5-10 minutes before turning it out otherwise, the glaze and the nuts will not coat the top of the cake evenly.

maple-walnut upside down persimmon cake
1 (8″) cake serving 6-8
glaze:
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons maple syrup-preferably grade b
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
preheat the oven to 350.  grease an 8″ cake pan and set it aside.  place the butter in a small sauté pan over low heat and melt.  add the maple syrup, light brown sugar and the cinnamon and stir until the brown sugar is dissolved.  raise the heat to medium and bring to a boil.  allow the mixture to boil for a minute and then pour into the prepared cake pan
cake:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1 egg
1/3 cup persimmon puree
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup buttermilk
in a mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar with the vanilla and salt.  when light and fluffy, add the egg and combine completely.  add the persimmon puree and mix in making sure to scrape the bowl well as you go.  sift the flour and baking powder over the batter and fold it in a few times.  sprinkle the buttermilk over the batter and fold it together until smooth.  spread it evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan.  bake until a tester inserted comes out clean,  about 35-40 minutes.  cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then place a serving dish that is larger than the cake pan over the top and invert the cake onto the plate-this will catch any drips.  allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.  and for the particularly evil-serve it with some ice cream!  buttermilk ice cream comes to mind…
bake on friends and may the force be with you.

apple-walnut bundt cake

Published on by alisahuntsman2 Comments
whenever i go out to the demonstration and research garden (demo garden, as we call it) to work with my fellow master gardeners, i always bring something freshly baked.  most of the time, it is a bundt cake.  every now and then, it is a loaf cake, a batch of muffins or scones or some sort of homemade bread.  this cake is a quick and easy recipe to follow that makes a tasty cake.  it can be made with apples or pears and either way will be equally decadent.

in my collection of bundt pans are a few that came to me from my aunt; they belonged to my late uncle who was a serious bundt cake fan.  this cathedral pan is one of my favorites for large recipes-it is at least 12 cups and makes a huge cake.  beware of a pan that size; the bigger they are, the longer the cake will bake if the pan is full of batter!

apple-walnut bundt cake
serves 12-16
3/4 cup walnut pieces
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 1/2 cup canola oil
2 large granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
preheat the oven to 350.  grease and flour the cake pan and set aside.  place the walnuts on a baking pan and toast in the oven until slightly fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.  allow the nuts to cool.
in a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the brown sugar and canola oil until smooth.  add the walnuts and apples and stir to combine.  place the flour, spices and baking soda into a sifter and sift over the batter.  fold the flour into the batter and mix until incorporated.  scrape the batter into the pan and bake until a tester inserted comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
allow the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes in the pan.  carefully turn the cake out onto a rack and allow it to cool completely.  to serve, cut with a serrated knife.  
and as always my friends, if you bake it, show it off and send me a photo!

apple butter-walnut linzer tart; pie #49 of 52

Published on by alisahuntsmanLeave a comment

when apples come into season, i love to make applesauce.  the rest of the time, i indulge in apple butter-i love the spicy flavor.  linzer tarts have always been a favorite of mine.  the spicy, nutty dough is so rich and the tartness of the traditional raspberry filling go so well together.  since it is definitely fall, i decided to left these two favorite things collide and see what came of it.

i took a traditional linzer tart dough and used some walnuts in it.  the tart shell was filled with purchased apple butter, topped with a lattice and baked until golden brown.  the filling was slightly tangy and a perfect compliment to the rich walnut dough.  since the apple butter is the predominant flavor , use a good one that you like, either purchased or home made.

apple butter-walnut linzer tart
1 (9″) tart serving 8
dough
3/4 cup almonds, natural sliced
3/4 cup walnuts, pieces
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups apple butter
preheat the oven to 350.  toast the almonds and walnuts until fragrant and lightly browned, 5-7 minutes.  allow the nuts to cool.  turn the oven down to 325.  place the sugar in the bowl of a food processor with the nuts and pulse together until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.  add the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon, cloves, salt and baking powder and pulse it to combine thoroughly.  sprinkle the butter cubes over the top of the mixture and pulse to form a crumbly mass.  add the egg yolks and vanilla and pulse to form a soft dough.  shape a disk using 1/3 of the dough, wrap it and chill it.  press the remaining dough evenly into a tart pan with a removable bottom.  place the tart shell on a baking tray and line the shell with baking paper or coffee filters, fill with baking weights and partially bake the crust until it no longer looks shiny in the bottom and has just barely begun to show color, about 30 minutes.  turn the oven back up to 350.  remove the tart shell from the oven and carefully lift out the weights and paper.  spread the apple butter evenly in the tart shell.  roll the remaining piece of dough out about 1/8-1/4 inch thick and cut 3/4″ strips of dough.  lay the strips over the filling to form a lattice top.  bake the tart until golden brown on top and the apple butter is bubbly, about 50 minutes. allow it to cool before removing from the pan. 
the end is very near…may the tart be with you…send a photo and i will post it here.  bakinbabe116@aol.com