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    Home » Walnut Tea Cake

    Walnut Tea Cake

    Written by Living the Gourmet, a trusted food and lifestyle site since 2008.

    Jump to Recipe

    This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TeaProudly #FallforBigelow #CollectiveBias

    This buttery, light cake is speckled with walnuts and notes of citrus then layered together with a fruit preserve center. It's a seasonal treat that is perfect for cozy Autumn days and holiday occasions as well.

    Today, we're serving up a slice of Walnut Tea Cake alongside Bigelow Pumpkin Spice Tea. If you're interested in trying Bigelow, hover over the image below to shop their variety of seasonal and classic blends available at Walmart!

    "Of all the wonders of nature, a tree in summer is perhaps the most remarkable: with the possible exception of a moose singing 'Embraceable You' in spats," as Woody Allen remarked.

    Now, in light of today's product, you might be asking "What does any of that have to do with tea or walnut cake?"

    There answer is plainly that, for me, 'Autumn in New York' is the 'most remarkable of all the wonders of nature,' while pumpkin spice is the 'singing moose' portion of Mr. Allen's equation. Cue a thousand pairs of rolled eyes. Yes, I know, the preponderance of "pumpkin spice everything" has entered the realm of meme material poking fun at leftover hipsters past their prime clinging to the 'once cool lattes of yesteryear,' but for me pumpkin spice is simply the flavor of the season. It's warm and vaguely hardy, spicy in that 'earthy' way that conjures images of hearth and home, and it just…it tastes like the changing of the leaves.

    For me, pumpkin spice is to autumn what tea is to a rainy day spent by the bay window; combining those three things, well, now that's simply bliss. Picture a lazy autumn morning, and a hot cup of natural pumpkin flavor, hints of licorice root, cinnamon, ginger and cloves, set against a backdrop of black tea. Naturally, I'm describing Bigelow Pumpkin Spice Tea.

    Bigelow has been, my family's tea of choice for quite literally my entire life due to its reliable quality and simply delicious flavor. Conveniently available at Walmart, the teas come in a convenient foil packaging which seals in freshness and flavor.

    Today, alongside my seasonal favorite Pumpkin Spice, I'm also serving Earl Grey, another fine blend of black tea and bergamont oil from the gardens of Calabria.

    Now, being who and what I am, why stop at the tea? Why not have an accompanying slice of 'something' that also comes packed with its own assortment of quintessential fall flavors? That, of course, brings us to today's recipe - Walnut Tea Cake.

    Today's walnut cake is almost precisely what it sounds like - a walnut cake that pairs excellently with tea.

    To start things off, we begin by buttering and flour dusting two nine inch baking pans. After that, combine butter and sugar in the amounts listed below, and mix them until they form a cream-like substance. Then add in six egg yolks to the butter and flour, one at time, beating the mixture thoroughly after each yolk.

    After that, combine graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix thoroughly before adding to the sugar and flour mixture. Then stir in orange rind and chopped walnuts, and set it aside.

    Now, whip six egg whites until they stiffen, you want to achieve nice sharp peaks. Once that's done, fold the whites into the batter, and pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about forty minutes. Once the cakes have finished baking, let them cool and remove from their pans. Spread the apricot preserves over the flat side of one of the cakes, then assemble and dust with powdered sugar, and you're done.

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    Walnut Tea Cake

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    • Author: Living the Gourmet
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 40 minutes
    • Total Time: 50 minutes
    • Yield: 1 cake 1x

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 1/2 cup unsalted butter - (one stick) softened
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 6 eggs - separated
    • 6 oz. graham crackers - pulsed fine
    • 1/2 cup flour
    • 1 tsp. baking powder
    • 1/4 tsp. salt
    • 1/2 cup orange juice
    • 1 1/2 tsp. orange zest
    • 1 1/2 cups finely ground walnuts
    • 1 cup apricot preserves or preserves of your choice
    • Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

    Instructions

    1. Preheat Oven 325 degrees F.
    2. Butter and dust with flour - two 9- inch layer pans
    3. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy
    4. Add the yolks, one at a time, beating the mixture after each yolk
    5. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt
    6. Add to the butter and sugar mixture along with the orange juice and beat
    7. Stir in the orange rind and the chopped walnuts
    8. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter
    9. Pour the batter into the prepared pans
    10. Bake 35 – 40 minutes or until the toothpick test comes out clean
    11. Allow the layers to cool 10 – 12 minutes before removing from pans
    12. Place the preserves on the flat side of one layer and top with the other layer
    13. Dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar and serve.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 8

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @LTGfood on Instagram and hashtag it #LTGfood

    Served alongside Bigelow Pumpkin Spice Tea or any other preferred Bigelow tea, and this is simply a perfect fall dessert.

    Don't forget to connect and follow Bigelow for tea time inspirations and updates on all your favorite seasonal blends! Enjoy with Love!

    2

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    Comments

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    1. Puja says

      October 22, 2018 at 4:53 am

      Looks like a great recipe. I love tea cakes.

      Reply
    2. Emily Leary says

      October 15, 2018 at 8:51 pm

      Oh yes please! I'll take a large slice! I love that you've included ground walnuts in the sponge. Sounds wonderful.

      Reply
    3. Jagruti Dhanecha says

      October 15, 2018 at 10:30 am

      Oh my gosh, I really want a slice of this incredibly tasty walnut cake! Look moist, fluffy and perfectly baked.

      Reply
    4. Ruchi says

      October 15, 2018 at 5:41 am

      Walnut and orange combination is so lovely and delicious. Perfect kind of cake for my afternoon cup of tea!

      Reply
    5. Kitty says

      October 15, 2018 at 1:10 am

      Can I have this for breakfast with my coffee? This looks like the perfect morning treat!

      Reply
    6. Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen says

      October 15, 2018 at 12:54 am

      I am a big fan of earl gray tea - what a perfect accompaniment for this gorgeous cake! Fall on a plate for sure!

      Reply
    7. Leslie Haasch says

      October 14, 2018 at 4:24 pm

      This looks so moist and just plain cozy! I'm gonna have to make this and curl up with a big warm blanket and a cup of tea. Love it!

      Reply
    8. Jyothi (Jo) says

      October 14, 2018 at 3:35 pm

      I love anything with walnuts and definitely tea cake with walnuts is brilliant.

      Reply
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