#BloggerCLUE: Black Walnut Cake

To use or not to use another acronym,

that is the question.

(My thanks to Shakespeare for this intro)

There seem to be as many acronyms as oysters nowadays, and yet another is being thrown into the fray. Today marks the inauguration of “The Blogger C.L.U.E. Society,” an organization that is all about “Cooking, Learning, Undertaking and Eating,” hence the catchy acronym.  I know it is tempting, but let’s save for later posts puns like “I don’t have a CLUE what this organization is all about.”  Or “I am CLUELESS about this recipe.”  Or even “CLUE me in when it is my turn to post.”  For now, let’s just say the society is a determined—and hopefully thick-skinned–group of food bloggers.  Each month we are assigned a theme and a fellow society member’s blog and told to cook a recipe from that blog and to share the experience.  So while I am evaluating a member’s recipe, another member is evaluating one of mine.  Ouch!  This format may produce more forked tongues than a den of snakes.  Perhaps I should just adopt the old adage:  “Let a fool hold his tongue and he shall pass for a sage.”

This month’s theme is Thanksgiving and I am assigned Kelli’s Kitchen. Thanksgiving is not my “holiday.”  Unlike Christmas, Thanksgiving is structured, repetitive, and downright boring.  Just how much turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, candied yams, and pumpkin pie can one endure?  And who really likes to eat a big meal in the middle of the afternoon when, at least here in Southern California, there are so many other things to do?  Not moi!  So I decided to glean from Kelli’s Kitchen an alternative dish to enliven this holiday.

I settled on Kelli’s “Aunt Irene’s Black Walnut Cake.” I never had such a cake, was not familiar with its most exotic ingredient–black walnut extract—and thought the name sounded very autumnal and therefore appropriate for Thanksgiving.  Plus family recipes passed down from generation-to-generation fascinate me.  They provide a glimpse into another era and, since they have been reproduced so often, have stood the test of time and are likely to be tasty and unique.

My apologies to Kelli, but since I do not own three 9-inch cake pans, I could not create the layered cake that Aunt Irene intended. So I took the liberty of giving Aunt Irene’s cake a different, more contemporary look if you will.  A Bundt cake mold created a terrific appearance but in no way compromised the cake’s light texture and flavor or the impact of the walnut sauce.  This beauty can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a pumpkin pie on the Thanksgiving table, can handle a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop or two of ice cream, and can even be served with an afternoon tea or coffee.  Aunt Irene sure knew what she was doing.

To celebrate the birth of The Blogger C.L.U.E. Society, I am giving away a copy of Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese through a drawing (no purchase or bribing The Culinary Diva is necessary).  To enter, just leave a comment below about your favorite family recipe before midnight, Sunday, November 16, 2014.  The winner will be drawn from all qualified entries and announced on Monday, November 17, 2014.  A comment will constitute an entry regardless of its merit, although only one entry per person will be accepted for the drawing.  So go ahead and share with us one of your clan’s favorite recipes.

If you are looking for some new family traditions to start or share this Thanksgiving, check out what The Blogger C.L.U.E. Society has cooked up for you:

• Arugula Salad With Baked Goat Cheese And Rosemary Honey by Aly from Cooking in Stilettos
• Black Walnut Cake by Christy from Culinary Diva
• Cauliflower with Garlic and Sage by Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch
• Chicken Curry by Christiane from Taking On Magazines
• Crispy Tandoori Smashed Potatoes by Janet from From Cupcakes to Caviar
• Honey Glazed Carrots with Cherries by Kelli from Kelli’s Kitchen
• Lemony Cheese Risotto by Debra from Eliots Eats
• Lisa’s Brussels Sprouts by Kate from Kate’s Kitchen
• Onion Biscuits by Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet
• Orange Fluff Jello Salad by Ramona from Curry and Comfort
• Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
• Pumpkin Spice Cake by Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch
• Pumpkin Spice Spiked Latte by Kathy from Bakeaway With Me
• Roasted or Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro and Lime by Kim from Liv Life
• Spicy Cheesy Bacon Ranch Muffins by Anna from Anna Dishes
• Spinach Soufflé by Susan from Create Amazing Meals
• Susu’s Grand Marnier Orange Cranberry Sauce by Alice from A Mama Baby and Shar-pei in the Kitchen
• Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls by Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake

The winner of Melt:  The Art of Macaroni & Cheese is Kate from Kate is Cooking!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Kelli's Aunt Irene's Black Walnut Cake

 

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Author: Kelli's Kitchen

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

• 1 Cup of Shortening (you can use unsalted butter if you had rather)
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 3 Cups Flour
• 3 Tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 Cup Milk
• ½ Tsp. Black Walnut Flavoring
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla
• 5 eggs, separated with whites beaten until stiff
• ½ Tsp. Salt
• + Glaze
• Glaze Ingredients:
• 5 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1 ½ Cups Buttermilk
• 1 ½ Cups Sugar
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla
• 1 Cup Black Walnuts – chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Cream Butter and Sugar.
3. Slowly add in flour, baking powder, and milk mixing well.
4. Stop mixer and fold in Black walnut flavoring vanilla, salt, and egg whites.
5. Do not mix heavily – you want to see bits of those egg whites throughout!
6. Spread evenly into one bundt cake pan.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool on wire racks and turn out cakes to cool completely.
9. Meanwhile, combine all ingredients except black walnuts in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until thick (about 15 minutes) but never allow to boil.
10. When thick, take off stove and stir in walnuts then pour over each layer as you stack them on top of each other.
11. Let cool and serve.

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