Walnut Cake
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My triple-tiered walnut cake recipe features a fluffy, moist spice cake laced with crunchy walnuts and topped with thick cream cheese frosting. It’s egg-free and made in one bowl!
Why I love this recipe
My family likes to push me to the limits of my creativity–and I accept said challenge.
Inspired by my spice cake, I wanted a cake that’s creative yet filled with familiar flavors we can all agree on. With crisp walnuts and a tangy cream cheese frosting, the result is a richly flavored cake with an irresistibly moist texture…and did I mention it has three tiers?! Here’s why I love it:
- A deceptively easy cake recipe. Don’t let the size fool you. You make this entire cake in one mixing bowl, and the steps are as easy as any other cake recipe.
- Egg-free. The cake rises from simple baking chemistry.
- Warm, spiced flavor. The cinnamon, brown sugar, and walnuts mesh perfectly, infusing every bite with warming flavor.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“Made it twice; about to make it again. My family loves the cake, even though we don’t do the cream cheese frosting because we don’t have room to refrigerate it, so we use different icing, and we also add more walnuts into it too, but love the recipe.” – Melissa
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below:
- Flour. You can use cake flour if you want, but I think all-purpose flour is just fine. I tested this with gluten-free flour, and it works as long as the blend has xanthan gum (like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur flour).
- White sugar AND brown sugar. I used a mix of both sugars, but for a more caramelized flavor and a darker sponge, use only brown sugar.
- Baking soda. Reacts with the vinegar to replicate what eggs would do (give the cake structure and rise).
- Cream of tartar. When combined with baking soda, cream of tartar helps produce more bubbles and results in a lighter cake.
- Vinegar. Use white or apple cider vinegar.
- Oil. I use canola oil, but any neutral-flavored oil will work.
- Milk or water. I used unsweetened almond milk, but water yielded almost identical results.
- Walnut halves. Finely chopped. Avoid toasted or salted walnuts as they could overpower the cake.
- Cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Flavor boosters to enhance the cake.
- Cream cheese frosting. I find the subtle tartness pairs so well with the sweet, moist cake. Of course, regular vanilla frosting works too.
How to make a walnut cake
Step 1- Mix the batter. Combine the dry ingredients (minus the walnuts) in a large bowl, then whisk in the wet ingredients until smooth. Stir in the walnuts, just until combined.
Step 2- Bake. Pour the batter mixture into three pans and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Step 3- Cool and frost. Let the cake layers cool on a cooling rack. Once cool, stack them with sheets of frosting between each cake layer and on top. Chill until set.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Bake a single-layer cake. Cut the ingredients into thirds.
- Don’t overmix the cake batter. The more you mix, the more air you lose, making for a dense, chewy cake. This is especially key when you add the walnuts, as too much mixing will make them sink to the bottom.
- Toss the walnuts in flour. I tested several methods to see which gave the walnuts an even distribution in the cake. Adding them straight in worked fine for me, but if you want, you could lightly toss them in flour before folding them into the cake.
- Let the cakes cool completely before frosting. Otherwise, the frosting will melt and slide off.
Storage instructions
To store: Store any remaining cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
To freeze: Place the cake in a freezer-safe container and freeze for 3 months.
More impressive tiered cakes
Walnut Cake
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup walnuts finely chopped
- 2 cups cream cheese frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Lightly grease three 8-inch cake pans and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt and mix well. Next, add the oil, vanilla, vinegar, and water and mix until combined and smooth. Fold through the walnuts at the end.
- Distribute the batter evenly amongst the three pans. Bake the cakes for 25-27 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool completely, before spreading frosting on them and layering them up. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes to set.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published December 2022
Interesting you didn’t let us see the sugar content. Why is that? I can see it’s extremely high
Hi Margaret- it’s not intentional, the recipe card sometimes doesn’t show all the macros in some of my recipes. This cake has never claimed to be sugar free.
Made it twice about to make it again my family loves the cake even though we don’t do the creme cheese frosting because we dont have room to refrigerated it so we use different icing and we also add more walnuts into it too but love the recipe
That means so much, Melissa. I’m so glad you’ve made this cake twice. Don’t worry about the frosting, I reckon the cake is just as good without it.
I made this cake in a bundt pan, had to bake it a bit longer almost 20 minutes more. Although it turned out great, the cake wasn’t very sweet which was surprising but very welcome. Moist and good flavor. I made a walnut butter cream frosting and didn’t add as much of the powdered sugar that the recipe called for and that was great too. Made this cake really nice.
AMAZING! Made this for my nanna and she loved it.
Absolutely love this and so does my husband!!
This cake does not disappoint! I have to say, I’m very impressed, I’ve tried other no flour/no refined sugar recipes but none have been this good. The cake is delicious, moist and fluffy, which is good with or without frosting. Seriously, five stars! 😊
This looks so good, it sounds right up my street. You are slowly but surely filling my summer off university with recipes to make. I absolutely love dates but I think classic banana pecan is my fave fruit and but pairing. I never even thought to try the dates and tea combo!
Hahahaha YES!!!! 😀 My mission is going to plan! 🙂
Dates are my jam, not a day goes by that I don’t eat them… In fact I think if I had to pick one food it would be dates!
However, I have never ever found dates that were as nice as the ones I had in Oman… They were just in a league of their own! I remember going to the date market and being surrounded by massive jute bags full of them… And the sweet smell in the air… Heaven!
I think any brand from the middle East is amazing 🙂
This looks amazing– and love your mom conversation commentary. It’s great to be proud of where you come from. Honestly, living in Malaysia, suddenly I think everything from America is better than what I find here..!
I always buy dates in Australia and bring them back to Malaysia- not because they are better, but because they are so much cheaper there. I love to use them as a sweetener and in baked goods– I got my husband’s mom’s date loaf recipe when we were there at Christmas, but it’s so unhealthy! I am going to see how he likes this 🙂
Oh wow- That still baffles me- Since coming back to Australia, everything is so expensive!!!!
This looks magical. I don’t like regular dates, but dried out Medjool dates are HEAVEN. I eat WAY too many of them.
Haha, that dehydrator and Costco combined 😮
I’m a Dates junkie! I They are my favorite dried fruit. There are around 450 kinds of Dates! To be honest, the ones from Saudi Arabia are amazing, you have the dried ones, moist ones, dipped in Dates molasses, mini ones, fruitful ones.. the list is endless. I’m a recipe developer myself and been working with dates lately, coincidence! The pairing of walnuts is nice, next time you can try cardamom or anise powder to the dry mix, they work together extremely well!
If I ever travel to Australia, I’ll get you the real deal Dates!
Cheers from Kuwait!
Wait, 450?! Fala, that is crazy!
I’ll need to hunt those down from Saudi Arabia now!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I love love love dates and dried fruit in general. When I went to Turkey, I pretty much subsisted off dried dates and figs. And I agree with your mum…they taste different over there!
Omg- Anywhere in the middle East, you’d get amazing dried fruits, you’ll need to try Persian ones, SO GOOD!
Dates and walnuts, a top notch combo! Hope mine comes out alright even though I just have boring ol’ regular dates 😉
Haha they will turn into a cow.
I love the cinnamon frosting, and will probably use the cream cheese option.
🙂 Thanks, Joanne- I think you’d enjoy this!
Dates are addictive with peanut butter. I dare you to try it. Anyways, I love putting them in truffle recipes but yes, they’re a bit too sweet on their own! This breakfast cake is really interesting because I never would’ve thought of putting them in a cake with walnuts! Yummy!
I have tried it, but I might need to give it another go!
This looks amazing! And dates? I’m obsessed, always have been…they’re an idea pre-workout energy boost and medjool dates stuffed with almond butter for life. Can’t wait to try this!
Thanks Deryn, it’s a great recipe.
Agree that dates alone don’t do it for me but in baked goods they really shine! Need to use them more, I get a bit lazy 🙂
YES! I need to expand my date palate!
I got into dates for a while when I scored a bag of them on sale. When I finished the bag, I simple didn’t get more. I most often use them in baked goods so this recipe looks great!
Thanks Ellie- I think you’d love it!
I like this canoodling you’ve got going on here… breakfast cake is always a win in my book.
Hahahaha canoooooodling. Best. Word.
wait now I really want to buy some persians dates! I also am not a fan of eating dates by themselves but they are pretty magical in baked goods and this cake looks pretty darn magical! Your Mom sounds so hilarious lol.
Haha, my mum is okay…sometimes. You need to try Persian dates- Game changer!
Wait. Cake for breakfast? Say what? Yes, please! But only if it’s before 10:30. After 10:30, that cake becomes lunch. 😉 Seriously, though, good looking cake here, mate. Like you, I’m not a fan of dates by themselves, but I can totally roll with them inside of baked goods. Baked goods topped with cinnamon frosting that is.
That frosting needs it’s own recipe…it gets eaten by the spoon ALL the time
Your mom would kill me. The only dates I’ve ever bought are the ones that are the Sun maid pre-chopped ones haha. I’ve never eaten them on their own, but I bet they taste good in breakfast cake!
WHAT. You are a fail Persian.
The next time I go to our local Persian grocery store, I’m for sure getting dates and walnuts. I trust your mom. Also, I think my mom would love this cake (esp. with your coconut cream frosting)!
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a date on its own. If I did, it was cold and hard…like my heart. I DID try a bacon-wrapped, goat cheese-stuffed date a couple weeks ago and that was amazing!!
Dates and walnuts were my favorite oatmeal mix-ins as a kid, so this cake is like childhood. Yesss. I still love dates, but since they’re so sweet, if I’m eating them straight-up, I always add savory stuff… like nut butter and bacon. Bacon is a good choice.
Bacon NEEDs to be added with dates…you’ve got me inspired!
Wait, you have a local Persian grocery store? I’m jealous!
I’m glad you’ve acknowledged your type of heart.
Your frosting looks awesome. Love that it’s got cinnamon in it 😉
Always cinnamon- It’s one of my favorite spices!
I love that your mom is so connected to her heritage! I think it is so cool you got to grow up learning about your heritage.
🙂 Thanks Kate! One of the perks of coming from a mixed background!