Coffee cardamom walnut cakes recipe
By baking these little cakes in standard muffin tins and then inverting them, not only do they give off the fancy vibe of a canelé without having to buy special moulds, but the muffin bottom is no longer an afterthought and the icing glides on attractively. These cute cakes are floral with floaty cardamom, and anchored by earthy coffee and walnut.
Reprinted with permission from Food52 Genius Desserts: 100 Recipes That Will Change the Way You Bake by Kristen Miglore, copyright © 2018. Recipe by Claire Ptak. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Photography by James Ransom © 2018.
Ingredients
- 75 g walnut halves
- 190 g plain flour
- 0.8 tsp baking powder
- 0.8 tsp baking soda
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground pink peppercorns (or substitute freshly ground black pepper)
- 0.8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground cloves (1/8 teaspoon)
- 180 g plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 150 g sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 210 g plus 2 tablespoons crème fraîche
- 2.6 oz walnut halves
- 6.7 oz plain flour
- 0.8 tsp baking powder
- 0.8 tsp baking soda
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground pink peppercorns (or substitute freshly ground black pepper)
- 0.8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground cloves (1/8 teaspoon)
- 6.3 oz plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 5.3 oz sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 7.4 oz plus 2 tablespoons crème fraîche
- 2.6 oz walnut halves
- 6.7 oz plain flour
- 0.8 tsp baking powder
- 0.8 tsp baking soda
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground pink peppercorns (or substitute freshly ground black pepper)
- 0.8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground cloves (1/8 teaspoon)
- 6.3 oz plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 5.3 oz sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 7.4 oz plus 2 tablespoons crème fraîche
- 185 g icing sugar
- 3 tbsp freshly brewed strong coffee or espresso
- 6.5 oz icing sugar
- 3 tbsp freshly brewed strong coffee or espresso
- 6.5 oz icing sugar
- 3 tbsp freshly brewed strong coffee or espresso
Details
- Cuisine: British
- Recipe Type: Cake
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 25 mins
- Cooking Time: 25 mins
- Serves: 12
Step-by-step
- To make the cakes, pre-heat the oven to 175°C/350°F/gas mark 3, with a rack in the centre. Generously butter a 12-cup muffin tin and dust with bread crumbs or flour, tapping out the excess.
- Spread the walnuts on a large rimmed baking sheet and warm them through in the oven for no more than 5 minutes – you’re not toasting them, just bringing out the fragrant oils. Let the nuts cool to the touch, then transfer them to a cutting board and finely chop them.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, pink peppercorns, cinnamon and cloves in a large bowl. Whisk in the chopped nuts.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat just to combine.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and mix just until no streaks of flour remain. Add the crème fraîche and mix just until combined.
- Divide the batter among the 12 muffin wells. Bake until the cakes spring back to the touch, about 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
- Let the cakes cool in their wells for about 10 minutes, then gently slide them out (you may need to run a small paring knife around the inside of the wells to ease the cakes out). Turn the cakes upside down on a rack and let cool completely.
- To make the icing, whisk together the sugar and 2 tablespoons of the coffee in a bowl. Add up to 1 more tablespoon coffee, whisking until the consistency of the icing is thick but pourable.
- Spoon the icing over the cakes, using the back of a spoon to nudge it toward the edges so that it drips over the sides.
- Let the icing set, about 30 minutes, before serving. Store any leftovers airtight at room temperature.
Reprinted with permission from Food52 Genius Desserts: 100 Recipes That Will Change the Way You Bake by Kristen Miglore, copyright © 2018. Recipe by Claire Ptak. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Photography by James Ransom © 2018.
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