Try this Black Walnut Pound Cake recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 41.7165000000096 g
- Cholesterol 65.0196865926455 mg
- Fat 35.6321352955855 g
- Fiber 1.30833335320155 g
- Protein 4.40328250013593 g
- Saturated Fat 18.7075238171082 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (155g)
- Sodium 9510.85636016094 mg
- Sugar 40.4081666468081 g
- Trans Fat 2.51803404000971 g
- Calories 491 calories
Step-by-step
- Do NOT preheat oven.
- Beat butter and shortening until smooth and creamy.
- Add sugar and beat at medium speed for 5 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time and beat until well blended.
- In a small bowl combine the flour with the baking soda.
- Add the flour slowly into the butter/sugar mixture alternating with the milk just until blended.
- Stir in the vanilla and coconut.
- Fold the chopped walnuts into the batter and pour into a greased and floured 10-inch bundt pan.
- Place into a cold oven and bake at 325 degrees for 1¼ or 1½ hours until done. Test for doneness using a toothpick.
- Cool in pan for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the pan to a rack and continue to cool.
- Glaze if desired.
Starting this cake in an unheated oven challenges standard baking assumptions, yet this exact method ensures a gradual rise and a fine crumb structure. Creaming the butter, shortening, and two cups of sugar for a full five minutes at medium speed incorporates microscopic air pockets necessary for leavening, because heavy batters struggle to lift without extended mechanical aeration. Adding the four eggs individually prevents the emulsion from breaking, a common misstep that results in a dense, greasy interior. Folding the flour and baking soda alternately with the whole milk prevents overdevelopment of gluten, keeping the final crumb tender rather than tough. Black walnuts possess a much earthier, more assertive flavor profile than standard English walnuts, and their high oil content requires gentle folding at the final stage to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the bundt pan. Freshly shelled black walnuts deliver a potent, pungent aroma, whereas stored or older nuts lose their volatile oils and turn mildly bitter. Bake the batter at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for up to ninety minutes, testing the center with a wooden toothpick to confirm zero wet crumb adhesion. Cooling the cake in the pan for exactly thirty minutes allows the structure to set sufficiently before inversion onto a wire rack. Wrapping the completely cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap preserves moisture for up to four days at room temperature.
