Holiday Walnut Cake
- Yield 16 servings
"This recipe has been in our family as long as I can remember. My mother made this cake each Christmas. As she got into her later years, she was on a fixed income and would bake one cake and split it between my family and my brother's. This was a great gift made with lots of love."
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1 cup, plus 1 tablespoon, milk, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 pound walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- whole walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch tube pan.
- Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Combine butter, granulated sugar and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until creamy and smooth. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with 1 cup milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Add extracts; beat well. Stir in walnuts.
- Place egg whites in a small mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat until stiff. Fold egg white mixture into batter.
- Pour batter into pan. Bake 65 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Invert onto a plate.
- Combine powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon milk in a small bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Drizzle evenly over warm cake. Garnish with whole walnuts, if desired. Flavors improve overnight. Serves 16.
Recipe by Mary Murry, Gatesville, Texas
