Gâteau aux Noix (French Walnut Cake)

Ingredients

• 150 grams Walnut halves (shelled) (French walnuts (Grenoble or Périgord) preferred; buy in-shell for freshness)
• 10 pieces Whole walnut halves (for decoration) (Reserve for topping the cake)
• 200 grams Powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar) (Do not substitute with granulated sugar)
• 6 large Egg whites (Room temperature for easier mixing)
• 80 grams All-purpose flour
• 160 grams Salted butter (demi-sel) (Melted; use European-style if possible)
• 2 tablespoons Liquid honey
• 1 tablespoon Butter (for pan) (For greasing the pan)
• 1 tablespoon Flour (for pan) (For dusting the pan)

Instructions

1. Crack and shell the walnuts

   Using a nutcracker, crack open about 30 in-shell walnuts to yield 150 grams of walnut halves. Reserve 10 nice halves for decoration; the rest will be ground.

   Time: PT10M

2. Grind walnuts with powdered sugar

   Place 150 grams of walnut halves and 200 grams of powdered sugar in a blender or food processor. Blend until finely ground and well mixed. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

   Time: PT5M

3. Incorporate egg whites

   Add 6 egg whites to the walnut-sugar mixture. Whisk until smooth and homogeneous.

   Time: PT5M

4. Add flour

   Add 80 grams of flour to the mixture and whisk until just combined.

   Time: PT2M

5. Melt and add butter

   Melt 160 grams of salted butter in the microwave or over a bain-marie. Pour the melted butter into the batter and mix well.

   Time: PT5M

6. Add honey

   Add 2 tablespoons of liquid honey to the batter and whisk for a final time until smooth.

   Time: PT1M

7. Prepare the cake pan

   Grease a 24 cm round cake pan with 1 tablespoon of butter and dust with 1 tablespoon of flour. Tap out the excess flour.

   Time: PT2M

8. Pour and decorate

   Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the surface. Arrange the reserved 10 walnut halves evenly around the edge for decoration.

   Time: PT2M

9. Bake the cake

   Preheat the oven to 160°C. Bake the cake for 30 minutes, checking doneness by inserting a knife or toothpick in the center; it should come out clean.

   Time: PT30M

   Temperature: 160°C

10. Cool and serve

    Remove the cake from the oven. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then unmold onto a rack or plate. Slice and serve.

    Time: PT6M

Nutrition Facts

Calories

370

Protein

6g

Carbohydrates

34g

Fat

24g

Fiber

2g