Spice Walnut Cake
.
Yield
16 servingsPrep
20 minCook
60 minReady
125 minIngredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| For the cake | |||
| 1 ¼ | cups |
walnuts
coarsely chopped, divided |
|
| 1 ½ | cups |
whole-wheat pastry flour
|
|
| ½ | cup |
barley flour
or you can use oat flour, or regular white flour |
* |
| 2 | teaspoons |
baking powder
|
|
| 1 | teaspoon |
cinnamon
ground |
|
| ¾ | teaspoon |
cloves, ground
|
|
| ½ | teaspoon |
baking soda
|
|
| ¼ | teaspoon |
nutmeg
ground |
|
| ¼ | teaspoon |
salt
|
|
| 2 | large |
eggs
at room temperature |
|
| ½ | cup |
brown sugar
packed, or up to 3/4 cup if you prefer sweeter |
*
|
| ⅔ | cup |
greek yogurt
|
|
| 3 | teaspoons |
orange zest
freshly grated |
|
| ½ | cup |
orange juice
prefer fresh |
|
| 4 | tablespoons |
olive oil
|
|
| For the syrup | |||
| ½ | cup |
orange juice
prefer fresh |
|
| 4 | tablespoons |
brown sugar
packed |
|
| 1 | strip |
orange zest
1-by-1-inch |
*
|
| 2 | whole |
cloves
|
*
|
Ingredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| For the cake: | |||
| 296 | ml |
walnuts
coarsely chopped, divided |
|
| 355 | ml |
whole-wheat pastry flour
|
|
| 118 | ml |
barley flour
or you can use oat flour, or regular white flour |
* |
| 1E+1 | ml |
baking powder
|
|
| 5 | ml |
cinnamon
ground |
|
| 3.8 | ml |
cloves, ground
|
|
| 2.5 | ml |
baking soda
|
|
| 1.3 | ml |
nutmeg
ground |
|
| 1.3 | ml |
salt
|
|
| 2 | large |
eggs
at room temperature |
|
| 118 | ml |
brown sugar
packed, or up to 3/4 cup if you prefer sweeter |
*
|
| 158 | ml |
greek yogurt
|
|
| 15 | ml |
orange zest
freshly grated |
|
| 118 | ml |
orange juice
prefer fresh |
|
| 6E+1 | ml |
olive oil
|
|
| For the syrup: | |||
| 118 | ml |
orange juice
prefer fresh |
|
| 6E+1 | ml |
brown sugar
packed |
|
| 1 | strip |
orange zest
1-by-1-inch |
*
|
| 2 | whole |
cloves
|
*
|
Directions
For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Coat an 8-inch-square glass baking dish with cooking spray and dust it with flour, shaking out the excess.
Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and toast, stirring once halfway, until fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes.
Transfer to a plate to cool.
Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
Add whole wheat pastry flour, barley flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl, whisk until well mixed.
Add eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl, whisk until thoroughly blended.
Mix together yogurt, orange zest and juice in a small bowl and stir until smooth, gradually whisk into the egg mixture along with oil.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing well in between until just incorporated.
Fold in 1 cup of the walnuts.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
Bake the cake until a wooden stick inserted into the center comes out almost clean, with just a few moist crumbs on, 38 to 46 minutes.
For the syrup:
Meanwhile, stir in ⅓ cup orange juice, 4 tablespoons of brown sugar, orange zest strip and cloves in a small heavy saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often.
Reduce heat to maintain a gently simmer and cook until thickened, about minutes (you will have a scant ⅓ cup); remove the zest and cloves. Allow to cool.
When the cake is baked, transfer the pan to a wire rack.
Using a wooden stick, pierce the top in about 20 places and brush the syrup over the cake 4 or 5 times, allowing it to seep in each time.
Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup walnuts and allow to cool completely, loosen the edges with a knife.
Cut into 16 squares.
