Christmas Walnut Cinnamon & Coffee cake recipe
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A few weeks ago I received an unexpected parcel from Slovenia. I was really surprised because I don't get them very often. I couldn't recognise hand writing on the address, so I was really curious what was going on. I opened the box and on my big surprise I found a large bag of walnuts. My dear auntie from Slovenia sent me a bag of walnuts to England. How sweet!
She lives in one of the most beautiful parts of Slovenia, in the unspoiled countryside and she has got three big walnut trees in her garden. In the letter, which was attached to the parcel she explains that she doesn't want me to buy walnuts from supermarkets because you never know what you get. She doesn't trust anything that even slightly resembles manufacturing and in fact anything 'foreign' that comes outside of the village borders. She is just an old school. In her opinion the best things come from her garden, and that is the way it has to be:)
I just love her old-fashioned approach to life and her stubbornness in refusing to discover anything new and potentially 'dangerous'. That's what makes her so special.
So, what to do with the bag full of walnuts? Because Christmas was fast approaching the best choice was clearly Christmas walnut cinnamon coffee cake recipe. This coffee cake recipe I mainly use during the Christmas time. High sugar content is pretty much the main reason for that. But Christmas is the right time to spoil ourselves with 'a bit heavier' cakes so I bake it without even thinking about calories (well, there is always time for the new year's resolution...).
Christmas walnut cinnamon coffee cake recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cardamom pod (grind the seeds)
- 3 1/4 cup all purpose flour (plain flour)
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 granulated sugar
- 8 tbsp softened butter (80 grams)
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Method - how to use Christmas walnut cinnamon coffee cake recipe:
- Heat the oven to 374F/170C fan oven/190C/gas mark 5. Grease the pan with butter and line the bottom with baking parchment. Chop the walnuts and grind the cardamom seeds with a sharp knife.
- Combine light brown sugar (1/2cup), walnuts (1/3cup), cardamom (1 pod) and cinnamon (2tsp) in a bowl and set aside.
- Combine flour (3 1/4cup), baking soda (2tsp), baking powder (1tsp) and salt (1/4tsp) and stir until well mixed.
- Combine granulated sugar (1 1/4cup) and butter (8tbsp or 80g). Beat with a mixer for about 3 minutes on medium speed. At the end add 3 eggs and vanilla extract (1tsp) and beat to combine ingredients.
- Add half of flour mixture to egg mixture and stir with a tablespoon. Add half of buttermilk and stir. After that add the second half of flour mixture and the second half of buttermilk and stir well.
- Spoon half of the batter in a prepared baking pan and spread it randomly. Sprinkle 3/4 of walnut, sugar, spice mixture evenly over the batter mixture.
- Fold the remaining half of the prepared batter into the pan and spread evenly. Top with remaining walnut, sugar and spice mixture.
- Bake for about 50-55 minutes on 374F/fan oven 170C /190C/gas mark 5.
- The coffee cake is baked when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the coffee cake in the pan on a wire rack for about 30 minutes. Lift the cake from the pan. Let it cool completely on the wire rack.
Use this handy conversion calculator
Method (step by step):
STEP 1:
Preheat fan oven to 374F/170C fan oven/190C/gas mark 5. Grease the pan and line the bottom with baking parchment. Chop the walnuts and grind the cardamom seeds with the sharp knife.
STEP 2:
Grease the pan with butter and line the bottom with baking parchment.
STEP 3:
Combine light brown sugar (1/2cup), walnuts (1/3cup), cardamom (1 pod) and cinnamon (2tsp) in a bowl and set aside.
STEP 4:
Combine flour (3 1/4cup), baking soda (2tsp), baking powder (1tsp) and salt (1/4tsp), stirring well.
IMPORTANT: When you measure the flour with a cup make sure you compress the flour into a cup with a tablespoon!
STEP 5:
Combine granulated sugar (1 1/4cup) and butter (8tbsp or 80g). Beat with a mixer for about 3 minutes on medium speed.
STEP 6:
Add 3 eggs and vanilla extract (1tsp) and beat to combine the ingredients.
STEP 7:
This is how the mixture looks after mixing.
STEP 8:
Add half of the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a tablespoon.
STEP 9:
Add half of buttermilk and stir. Than add the second half of the flour mixture, the second half of buttermilk and stir well.
STEP 10:
Coffee cake batter ready for baking looks something like this.
STEP 11:
Spoon half of the batter in a prepared baking pan and spread it. Sprinkle 3/4 of walnut, sugar, spice mixture evenly over the batter mixture.
STEP 12:
Spread the remaining half of the batter into the pan. Top with the remaining walnut, sugar and spice mixture.
STEP 13:
Bake for about 50-55 minutes on 374F/190C /fan oven 170C/gas mark 5. The coffee cake is baked when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool the coffee cake in the pan on a wire rack for about 30 minutes. Lift it from the pan. Let it cool completely on the wire rack.
STEP 14:
When the cake is cold, take a serrated knife and cut it into pieces and serve together with your favorite cup of coffee.
Our coffee choice for Christmas walnut cinnamon coffee cake recipe:
Cappuccino
Espresso
Cafe latte
Turkish coffee
*all combinations have been tested with medium roast Arabica blend
And which coffee is the ultimate winner?
There is no ultimate winner when you are using this wonderful coffee cake recipe. Teaming this coffee cake with Turkish coffee leads to an explosion of spice flavors that push the taste of coffee into background. Espresso is perhaps to sharp for this kind of a cake but some may disagree. Cappuccino and particularly cafe late neutralize the flavors on both ends into a scrumptious world of balanced sweetness. As far as I am concerned all results are equally rewarding me but it all depends on the mood, situation and occasion.
Useful baking tips
- Ran out of buttermilk? No worries, you can make it at home too. Milk can be soured by using lemon juice or vinegar. Take 1 cup of skimmed milk and add 1tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar and stir well. Let it rest at the room temperature for 15 minutes. When the milk starts to curdle stir the mixture again and use it straightaway.
- If you take eggs straight from the fridge you need to warm them up to a room temperature so place eggs in a pot, slowly pour in freshly boiled water and leave to stand for 5 seconds (this way you achieve room temperature quick and easy way).
- Butter which you use in this coffee cake recipe needs to be at room temperature and must be soft.
- When you measure the flour with a cup make sure you compress the flour into a cup with a tablespoon.
- I usually use organic ingredients in all my recipes.
Good to know
- I have learned so far that children usually don't like spice cakes, but I can say that yummy coffee cake recipe is one of exceptions and all the kids that we know love this coffee cake.
- A spice is a dried root, seed, fruit, bark or leaf.
- Cinnamon was among the most luxurious products in Middle Ages.
- Cardamom stimulates our digestive system and reduces gases. It can be beneficial to the urinary tract and more.
- This coffee cake recipe doesn't contain coffee. The name coffee cake comes from its perfect teaming with just about any coffee.
- You can make different variations of this coffee cake recipe using spices like allspice, cloves, ginger,... (be creative)
- Walnuts are a very good source of protein. They are rich in fiber, vitamin B, magnesium and antioxidants like vitamin E. They have a high amount of omega 3 fatty acids.
- Eating walnuts reduces the risk of heart disease, controls high blood pressure, lowering bad cholesterol, promotes better cognitive functions and has anti-inflammatory benefits helpful in asthma, eczema,...
- Walnut trees have been cultivated for thousands of years.
- If you buy shelled walnuts avoid walnuts that look shrivelled. Smell them to check if they are rancid before any use. Store them in the fridge or in a cool dark place.
- When you buy spices it is much better to get them from specialty shops because the quality of spices is much, much better.
