A moist and dense walnut pound cake with a hefty dose of ground nuts and maple syrup in the batter. Two flavors that pair fantastically well. The bundt cake is a simple recipe that can be made ahead and frozen. A finger-licking maple icing is the perfect topping. We like to serve it for Easter and mother's day.
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Originally published in 2012, the text and images in this post have been updated to serve you better. The recipe remains the same.
I've been making this maple walnut pound cake for decades, and it's still one of my favorites. It was about time I shared it here.
Pound cakes by themselves are amazing with their dense, tight crumb.
The addition of ground walnuts and maple syrup makes for a mouth-watering alternative.
This cake is dense but moist and soft, with texture and a unique flavor.
Ingredients
- Walnuts: they will be ground, so there's no need to buy the whole, more expensive nuts for the batter. You might want to have them to use as decoration, but you can also sprinkle chopped ones on top of the glaze.
- Maple syrup: I like to use grade A pure maple syrup.
- Maple extract: is used for a boost of maple flavor. It's optional but I like to use it. You can buy maple flavor extract online.
- All-purpose or cake flour.
- Baking powder: is used as leavener to help the cake rise, so make sure it isn't expired.
- Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
- Unsalted butter.
- White, granulated sugar.
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper.
- Powdered sugar: also called confectioners or icing sugar, you can easily buy it online. Domino powdered sugar is a very popular one.
See the recipe card towards the end of this post for quantities.
Variations & substitutions
- Nuts: use pecans instead of walnuts.
- Spiced: add ground cinnamon to the batter or the glaze (like in the cinnamon bundt cake).
- Brown sugar: use light brown sugar instead of white for a deeper caramel tone.
How to make maple walnut bundt cake
This is a butter cake with ground walnuts.
The method used is creaming butter, sugar, and eggs first and then folding in the dry ingredients.
Equipment: use an electric mixer or a stand mixer. You can in theory mix it by hand with a whisk, but it'll take time and arm muscle and you might not get enough air for it to rise as it should during baking.
Before you add the sifted dry ingredients, the batter might look curdled. It'll smooth out after you finish integrating it all.
Have the bundt pan ready and even out the top before baking it.
The cake will crack and that is fine. Cool it in a wire rack for about 20 minutes before you remove it carefully, as the crumb will still be hot and tender.
Drizzle the maple glaze over the cold cake. Let it drip down the sides and let dry before cutting.
Vintage Kitchen tip: after incorporating flour in a cake batter, we don't want to develop gluten, as it will toughen the baked cake. So mix *just* until it's all well integrated, but don't overbeat. I like to end mixing with a silicon spatula to ensure the ingredients are well mixed with no dry spots left.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Storage: as with most pound cakes, it keeps well covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container. It can be frozen for up to a month.
Origin of pound cake
Pound cake originated in France and was made with only four ingredients: butter, sugar, flour, and eggs.
A pound of each! Can you imagine that? Heavy would be a big understatement, I imagine. This was before ingredients like baking powder were discovered.
It is the famous French cake quatre quarts (translates to four quarts) due to the number of ingredients and the fact that it was a quarter (or pound) of each.
Related recipes you might like:
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Walnut Maple Cake
A moist and dense walnut pound cake with a hefty dose of ground nuts and maple syrup in the batter. Two flavors that pair fantastically well. The bundt cake is a simple recipe that can be made ahead and frozen. A finger-licking maple icing is the perfect topping. We like to serve it for Easter and mother's day.
- Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 ¾ cups (215g) coarsely chopped walnuts, lightly toasted if possible
- 2 ¼ cups (315g) all-purpose or cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups (280g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups (250g) sugar
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ¾ teaspoon maple flavoring (optional)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze:
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar (sifted)
- 2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon maple extract (optional for added flavor)
- Walnut halves for decoration
Instructions
For cake:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC.
- Butter and flour a large 10 or 12-cup bundt pan. Refrigerate while making the batter.
- If you can, toast the nuts: scatter the pieces on a baking sheet and bake in a 325°F/160°C oven for about 10 minutes or more as needed. They will have a toasted color and the smell will be nutty and wonderful. Watch them closely as they start to darken quickly at some point. Let them cool down completely before grinding them.
- Finely ground the walnuts in a food processor.
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
- Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Mix in maple syrup, maple flavoring (if using), and vanilla extract. The batter may look curdled and will smooth out when adding the flour mixture.
- Mix in the dry ingredients in 2 parts, using the mixer at the lowest speed.
- Fold in the ground walnuts with a spatula and make sure the batter is thoroughly integrated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake until the top is golden, cracked, and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool the cake for 20 minutes.
- Make sure no batter is stuck to the sides of the pan. You can use a smooth-bladed knife to check the sides and around the center.
- Carefully turn the cake out onto a cooling rack and cool completely before glazing.
- Drizzle the glaze (below) and let it drip down the sides.
- Place walnut halves on top and wait until it dries completely before cutting and serving.
- Store leftovers covered in plastic wrap for 2 days at room temperature and then refrigerate.
For the glaze:
- Mix powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.
- Add more syrup until you have the consistency of thick honey. The glaze should be creamy and smooth.
- Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for a few weeks.
Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Storage: as with most pound cakes, it keeps well covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container. It can be frozen for up to a month.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cooling time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: International
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10
- Calories: 800
- Sugar: 42.3 g
- Sodium: 161 mg
- Fat: 53.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 71.5 g
- Fiber: 3.1 g
- Protein: 15.2 g
- Cholesterol: 167.9 mg
Keywords: maple walnut cake
Adapted from an old Bon Appetit Magazine
The Ninja Baker says
Is it autumn in Argentina because I need an excuse to make this cake! Love the nutty goodness. Brilliant, Paula!
Paula Montenegro says
Yes Kim, autumn, very rainy and humid!
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
I love maple and I've made a maple pound cake too.It is ne of my favorites and now I can't wait to try your version with the walnuts! This sounds delightful Paula!
Paula Montenegro says
Thanks Abbe!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Heavenly! I need to bake one too!
David says
Wow - I have been in the mood for a bundt cake and I think this is the one. Although I might change to pecans because I have a ton of them (Christmas gift!) and I think they would be an okay substitute for the walnuts. What do you think?
Paula Montenegro says
I think pecans work even better? Or just as good at least. Nice gift, btw!
David says
The cake just came out of the oven and it smells amazing. Question - how much cream is in the glaze?
Paula Montenegro says
Well David, I guess you went ahead without me, haha, I'm late with the answer.
I add 1 or 2 tablespoons. Thanks for the heads up, I will modify the recipe!