DESSERT RECIPES

Maple Walnut Cake

Updated

A tender, not-too-sweet 8-inch square snack cake sweetened with maple syrup and brown sugar and studded with chopped walnuts.

Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Total
1 hr 15 min
Yield
9 squares
Illustration of Maple Walnut Cake

This simple square cake from the KitchenSimplicity archive gets its flavor from real maple syrup creamed into butter and brown sugar, with a handful of chopped walnuts folded through for crunch. It bakes up light and moist, and because it is only moderately sweet, it is just as good plain as it is with a topping.

It needs only seven ingredients and one 8-inch pan, so it suits a weekday bake as well as an autumn get-together, a coffee break or a Canada Day celebration. Serve it on its own, dusted with powdered sugar, or with a spoonful of maple whipped cream.

Tips

  • Keep the cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or wrap and freeze it for up to 2 months.
  • Toast the walnuts in a 350°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes and let them cool before folding them in for a deeper, nuttier flavor.
  • Use pure maple syrup rather than pancake syrup; darker, more robust grades give the strongest maple taste.
  • For a topping, try lightly sweetened whipped cream flavored with a spoonful of maple syrup, a maple-brown sugar frosting, or a scoop of ice cream.

Maple Walnut Cake

Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Total
1 hr 15 min
Yield
9 squares

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml / 160 g) pure maple syrup
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)
  • 1/2 cup (60 g) chopped walnuts

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8-inch square baking pan, and line the bottom with parchment if you want to lift the cake out easily.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  3. Beat in the maple syrup until smooth. The mixture may look slightly curdled at this point; that is fine.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low just until each one disappears into the batter.
  5. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl, then stir them into the batter by hand just until no dry streaks remain. Fold in the walnuts.
  6. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top springs back and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  7. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting it into 9 squares, or cool it completely before adding any frosting.

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