Walnut Spice Cake
For this striking two-toned dessert, alternating layers of snow-white and mahogany-brown spiced cakes are sandwiched with a rich, chocolate fudge icing and decorated with walnut halves. This recipe first appeared in our March 2012 issue, with Ben Mims' story Sweet Southern Dreams.
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Credit: Todd Coleman
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:1 cup vegetable shortening, plus more for pans
3 cups cake flour, plus more for pans, sifted
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 cups sugar
6 egg whites, at room temperature
FOR THE ICING:
4 cups sugar
3 cups milk
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups whole walnut halves
Instructions
1. Make the cake: Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour two 9″ cake pans, and set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside. Whisk together milk and vanilla in a bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together cinnamon, allspice, and cloves; set spices aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, cream shortening and sugar on medium-high speed until evenly combined, about 2 minutes. Add egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, alternately add dry ingredients in 3 batches and wet ingredients in 2 batches. Increase speed to high and beat until batter is smooth, about 5 seconds. Pour half the batter into one prepared pan. Add spices to remaining batter in bowl; stir until evenly combined. Pour spiced batter into second prepared pan; smooth tops of both batters with a rubber spatula. Drop pans lightly on a counter to expel any large air bubbles. Bake cakes until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cakes cool for 20 minutes in pans; invert onto wire racks, and let cool. Using a serrated knife, halve each cake horizontally to produce four layers; set aside.2. Make the icing and assemble the cake: Bring sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa to a boil in a 6-qt. copper saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; attach a candy thermometer to side of pan, and cook, stirring bottom constantly with a wooden spoon, until thermometer reads 232°, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately stir in vanilla and baking soda; let sit for 1 minute. Using a hand mixer, beat chocolate mixture on medium-low speed until the consistency of loose pudding, about 1 minute. Immediately place one spiced cake layer on a cake stand and pour 1/2 cup chocolate icing over; top with one white cake and pour 1/2 cup icing over. Place second spiced cake over icing and pour 1/2 cup icing over; top with second white cake, and pour remaining icing around top edge of cake and then over the center. Quickly spread icing over sides of cakes; press walnuts into sides of cake until sides are covered. Let icing cool completely before serving. Store at room temperature.
The frosting - Why would you pour a hot liquid over a cake? That was not a good idea. It was too hot and was not thick enough to spread on a cake. Perhaps the recipe should have had the chocolate rest for at least an hour or so so that it would come together to make it easier to spread. My cake ended up collapsing because of the heat of the frosting. If I were to try this again, I would do that. The taste was ok, but overall, not my favorite.