A lusciously moist Chocolate Walnut Cake made with almond flour and ground walnuts. It's the perfect flourless cake for those who need a gluten-free dessert. The simple addition of a chocolate ganache glaze, transforms it into a stunning dessert.
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
There's nothing better than a lusciously moist chocolate cake - unless it has walnuts! This walnut cake recipe uses both walnuts and walnut oil to bump up it's delicious walnut flavor. We all know that strawberries and chocolate compliment each other nicely, but we don't often think about pairing chocolate with nuts. Walnuts and chocolate are an amazing combination.
Enjoy this updated recipe and post!
Moist Chocolate Walnut Cake
I love making desserts. I enjoy the whole process of coming up with an idea then testing and puttering with the ingredients until it comes out just right. Working with low carb ingredients can be a challenge. We use nut flours to make our baked goods and since they are completely flourless, they don't share the same characteristic properties we are used to.
One thing I particularly love about baking with our low carb flours is that they are completely gluten-free. I know that I experience much less finger-joint pain and sinus troubles when I avoid wheat products - even the low carb products which sometimes have extra gluten added.
The downside of using alternate ingredients is that the best results comes from combining them which means longer ingredient lists! The upside is that our low carb cake recipes are usually 1 bowl wonders. That means we can add all of the ingredients to the bowl and mix away. And, over-mixing is never a problem. Nut flours, especially walnuts, are inherently moist and result in beautifully moist cakes and muffins, but they're heavier than traditional flours and need extra leavening.
The perfect Low Carb and Keto Chocolate Cake Recipe
As I remade this chocolate walnut cake, I paid attention to the procedure and found ways to make it easier. I also decided that it tasted better with a little more sweetener. Cocoa powder and walnuts are both bitter and the bump in sweetness really brought out some nice flavors. When I brought the cake out of the oven I was sad that I had waited so long to make it again. It smelled amazing!
After the cake cooled, I made a quick chocolate ganache glaze. Then, I sorted through the nuts in my walnut bag and found 12 walnut halves to decorate the top. When originally posted, I used walnut pieces and sprinkled them around the inside edge.
After taking photos, this beautiful cake sat covered on the counter for several days. The ganache was still glossy and beautiful and the cake became more delicious and moist. It was a real treat! If you refrigerate yours, make sure to let it sit out on the counter for 20-30 minutes before enjoying.
This chocolate walnut cake has a wonderful substantial texture, so a small piece is perfectly satisfying. It's just as perfect to serve to guests as it is to enjoy cuddled up on the couch with your cell phone and a cup of coffee.
[NOTE] I originally posted this recipe a few years ago - back when the whole family was eating gluten-free and dairy-free. At that time, I purchased coconut milk by the case. I used it as both the fat and moisture in my baking recipes. It lends a sweetness which I really like. However, in the process of updating the recipe, I replaced it. Don't worry, I'll still include it as an option.
This Moist Walnut Chocolate Cake (Low Carb Chocolate Walnut Cake) is 5 net carbs per serving.
[Disclosure: This recipe may contain affiliate links.]
Moist Chocolate Walnut Cake
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup almond flour (fluff up with whisk before measuring)
- 3 ounces walnuts
- ½ cup low carb sugar (or Swerve Granulated)
- â…“ cup coconut flour (fluff up with whisk before measuring)
- â…“ cup cocoa powder* (sift then measure)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup walnut oil (or melted butter)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon stevia glycerite
- ½ cup buttermilk (or full-fat coconut milk, or heavy cream)
Chocolate Ganache Glaze
- 2 oz Ghiradelli Intense Dark Chocolate 86% (or any high percentage chocolate)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons room temperature butter (or coconut oil)
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and position rack to the middle of the oven. Trace the bottom of an 8 x 2 inch cake pan on a sheet of waxed paper or parchment. Cut out the circle. Spray the cake pan with baking spray and line the bottom of the pan with the parchment circle. Weigh walnuts and process in a food processor with the sweetener until a finely ground.
Procedure
- Measure the dry cake ingredients (including the ground walnuts) in a medium bowl and stir thoroughly with a large whisk to combine. In another bowl, add the wet ingredients and beat with a hand mixer. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until all of the ingredients are completely incorporated.
- Spoon the batter into the cake pan and gently tap it on the counter 2-3 times to dislodge any big air bubbles. Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes or until the cake still sounds moist when gently pressed with your finger and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Do not over bake!
- Remove the Chocolate Walnut Cake from the oven and cover with a clean tea towel. Let the cake cool completely. Then wrap in plastic wrap until ready to top with ganache. Make sure the cake is at room temperature before topping with the ganache.
Chocolate Ganache Glaze
- Finely chop the chocolate and place it in a small microwaveable bowl with the heavy cream and butter. Cover with waxed paper and microwave for 30 seconds. Let stand for 1 minute, then gently whisk to combine. The ganache should be thick and glossy. Use right away.
- Pour the chocolate ganache into the middle of the cake and spread with a spatula or knife, encouraging it to drip over the side. Decorate with optional walnut halves or walnut pieces if you wish, while the ganache is still soft. Cut and serve after the ganache has hardened (it will still be fairly soft but not runny).
- Store in the refrigerator or on the counter. If refrigerated, let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes before enjoying. Serves 12.
Notes
Nutrition
Low Carb Chocolate Strawberries and Cream Cake
Low Carb Chocolate Pound Cake (Coconut Flour)
Mary
Great texture - willl use as base/starting point in the future. Needed some grated orange peel, almond extract, cherry flavoring, espresso powder, cream cheese icing, keto whipped cream... SOMETHING, but really liked the texture.
Renata Kunkel
Amazing! I omitted the stevia. Very moist, great consistency, best gluten free cake I have ever had!
Janny
Love this cake! I forgot to add the walnuts this time but it is still delicious" instead of the ganache I made a keto cream cream icing. Turned out great!
Violet
Can this be frozen?
Kim Hardesty
Yes, Violet. The chocolate ganache may "bloom" show white swirls, but it does not affect taste. If you are freezing the cake to serve later, I suggest thawing and adding the ganache after thawing. -Kim
Irmina
What a simple and really great cake. Mine came out really moist almost fudgy especially when getting it out of the fridge. Love love the texture and the cake is just sweet enough and decadently chocolaty with a hint of walnut. Will try to get the walnut oil next time. Thank you so much for another great recipe.
Kim Hardesty
I love this cake, Irmina and am thrilled that you love it, too! I appreciate you taking the time to come back to let me know. Yes, the walnut oil is so nice; it keeps a very long time in the fridge. Have a great week!
JT
Hi, I only have 1% buttermlk- not full-fat. Would that be okay to use in this recipe? Also, what would be a good subtitute for the "stevia glycerite"?
Kim Hardesty
Hi JT. You can use the 1% buttermilk. I can't find full-fat buttermilk and use 2% myself. Just add a splash of heavy cream... I use the stevia glycerite because at the time of sharing the recipe, only erythritol based sweeteners and xylitol were available. Both cause a cooling sensation when they melt and erythritol re-crystallizes when exposed to moisture. To combat those two phenomena I use as little of those sweeteners as I can get away with and augment with the stevia glycerite, which is a much less bitter form of steviia.
Having said that... Today, I would try an Allulose/ Monk fruit blend (1:1 sugar replacement) and just use more of it. If you don't have that, then just use more of your favorite sweetener to taste. I would use about 3/4 - 1 cup of your favorite 1:1 sugar replacement. NOTE: Be careful using stevia with chocolate, and monk fruit to some extent, as the bitter compounds in both the sweetener and the chocolate magnify each other.
I hope this helps. -Kim
Mira G.
This is one of the best chocolate cake recipes I've ever tried. So many times I say to myself, let me try something new, and then resort to this one as already tried. I also make it as cupcakes - works great for portion sizing, makes 8 big cupcakes, or 10 smaller. Baking is faster, around 25min.
Amazing job, thank you!
Kim Hardesty
Your comment makes me so happy, Mira. This is one of my favorite recipes, so I'm thrilled you like it, too. Thank you for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe as well as share your experience with using this recipe to make cupcakes. Have a nice weekend. -Kim
Veronica Alfonso
This walnuts chocolate cake is truly amazing. Thank you I love your recipes so on point and consistent every time
Kathryn Young
Hello! This recipe looks awesome, however, I do not have a scale. Approximately how many cups of chopped walnuts should I grind? Or how many cups of walnut meal should I end up with?
Cheers,
K
Kim Hardesty
Hi Kathryn. 1/4 cup is approximately 1 oz, so measure 3/4 cups for the walnuts. -Kim
Delia Narvaiz
Great recipe. a little hard to get the walnuts to make flour with that. I gave up about at 90%. Have to start that earlier. I will definitely mix flour ahead of time. Broke the ganache. but it has a wonderful flavor. Will try again. it was my birthday cake to myself.
Kim Hardesty
Happy Birthday, Delia! -Kim
Holly
Just as an FYI for folks, the chocolate flavor was more like a German chocolate cake than a dark chocolate cake, but still wonderful nonetheless. I followed your directions to the letter with the exception of having a smaller spring form pan (I made a few cupcakes with the extra batter). The crumb on this cake was perfect - it's very sturdy without being dry. You can cut through at least one layer of it. While baking, I kept checking the cake with a toothpick and took it out when exactly done, so watch that time. We layered whipped vanilla greek yogurt and raspberries in the middle with the ganache on top for "breakfast cake." It was so good!
Kim Hardesty
I'm glad you liked the cake, Holly, and love how you served it! I use a mixture of Bensdorp cocoa and Black Cocoa, so mine really is a rich, dark chocolate flavor. I will mention that in the post. Have a great weekend! -Kim
Alice Davey
tippy top recipe Kim, thank you! A lot of low carb choc cakes and brownies are a little too fudgy for me, this is like genuine chocolate sponge cake... and your photos are as beautiful as always. xx
Lara
Another successful recepie! Thank you! You're doing such an amazing job!
Kim
Thanks so much, Lara! -Kim
Yomi
What size pan was used for the round version of this cake? Also, is do we really use an 8x2 pan? I've never heard of that size. Thanks.
Kim
Hi Yomi. I used an 8x2 inch round pan for the cake. It's 8 inches in diameter and 2 inches high. I hope this helps. -Kim
Speedwell
I am one of that unfortunate genetic minority who find stevia bitter at every concentration. Using less is simply not an option. Would it be permissible to just add extra erythritol to the dry mixture, or to use a sweeter alternative such as xylitol or tagatose for the total sweetener?
Kim
Hi Speedwell. If you have the tagatose (I use Tagatess), then use that - no bitterness or cooling effect. But, you could use more Swerve or xylitol to taste, also. Enjoy the recipe. -Kim
Asya
Dear Kim! This recipe sounds great and promises to come out delicious. The only thing i don't have any sugar substitutors. Is it possible to make it with regular sugar? I know that it may sound barbaric.. But i don't have any sweeteners other then sugar. Appreciate your response! )))
Kim
Yes, Asya. If you aren't low carb, use an equal amount of sugar. If it isn't sweet enough, adding more won't hurt anything. -Kim
trudy
can you use honey for your suger and how much
Kim
I'm sure you could use some honey, Trudy. I don't cook with it so I'm not sure how much or how it would affect the recipe. My gut tells me that it would make the cake nice and moist, but honey also burns easily. -Kim
Jo
Hi Kim! I'd like to make this cake but only have a 9-inch round springform pan; would I need to scale the recipe up? If so, would you suggest increasing it by 25% or 50%? Thank you!
Kim
Hi Jo. Great question. I would probably scale up by 50%. You will have to watch it as I'm not sure how it would affect baking time. I always set a timer for 10 minutes before a stated baking time in a new recipe then check every 5 minutes (or 2 minutes if it's really close). Make sure to drape a clean tea towel over it until it's completely cool to trap steam. Also, enjoy this cake after it sits out on the counter for at least 20 minutes. Many times low carb cakes are thought to be dry, but the fats have solidified in the refrigerator. Letting it sit out before enjoying lets them warm up a bit. Enjoy the cake. -Kim
Alli
Hi there! I'm fairly new to the world of low-carb baking and I need to make a low carb birthday cake for my brother-in-law this weekend. I have erythritol on hand already and am wondering what the ratio would be to substitute it for the Sukrin. I've never used Sukrin before but it looks like it's made from erythritol so I thought it would be the same measurements but from a little research of conversion charts online, some people suggest doing 2/3 c. erythritol for a half cup of Sukrin.
I'm also curious about the stevia glycerite, is this just a concentrated liquid stevia or something different altogether? I've found liquid stevia in my local grocery store but it doesn't specify that is a glycerite. Should I order the stevia glycerite online or can I use the liquid stevia blend? I found it in the water enhancement aisle of the grocery store so it isn't a concentrate.
Thank you!!
Kim
Hi Alli. Happy Birthday to your BIL. You've asked great questions. Yes, you can use more plain erythritol to taste. Let me tell you a little about erythritol though. It produces a cooling effect and also has the tendency to recrystallize. The cooling effect means that baked goods can feel cool as they interact with the saliva in the mouth and the recryastallization can produce a crust on the top or bottom of baked goods. I use a smaller amount of erythritol to reduce these effects. Then, I bump up the sweetness with the stevia glycerite which is glycerine and stevia combined. It is a concentrated sweetener which I find much less bitter than stevia drops. Many use stevia drops and love them. I think they are bitter. Use what you have and sweeten to taste. For the cake to taste its best, please leave it out on the counter for at least 20 minutes before cutting. That will give the fats in the cake time to warm up and the cake will be moist. Many people complain about low carb baked goods being dry and the majority of the time is because something was eaten cold straight from the fridge. I hope this helps. If you have any more questions, please ask. -Kim
Kathy
I am a little confused, in the directions it says to bake 30-40 min or until it "sounds" moist. I have never seen that in a recipe. I can tell when it feels moist, is that what you are talking about?
Kim
Hi Kathy. Lol. I am a little weird I guess. I just mean that when I press my finger gently on the top of the cake, I can still hear a little moisture in it. It is firm but springy to the touch. Of course a toothpick will tell you for sure. Let me know if this is a better explanation. -Kim
Letty
Hi Kim,
I just made your cake. Actually, I made 2 because I'm having a birthday party for me tomorrow evening & I'm expecting about 15 people. I read all the comments & made sure I sifted & whisked my dry ingredients, but I was still worried that my cakes might come out dry, as some folks commented. If I had more time I would have done a practice run, but since I didn't, I went ahead & added 2 more eggs & 2 more T of butter ( I couldn't find the walnut oil) to the batter. The batter looked good & tasted great & the cakes look awesome. I checked them at 20, 25, 30 & took them out at 35 min, wasn't going to risk over baking. I'll post again to let you know on the actual taste & moistness of the cake after we dig into it. Anyway, I'm contacting you because I purchased the 86% chocolate for the topping, but it seems a bit bitter, as dark chocolate is. So, I was wondering if you would recommend adding some glycerine or Swerve (I couldn't find the Sukrin) to the chocolate ganache glaze? Thanks in advance for your response & thanks for your recipe.
Kim
Hi Letty. Make sure that the cake warms up on the counter or the fats will be hard and it will seem more dry. I haven't tested the batter with more eggs, but sometimes more oil can help texture and moistness. I haven't had the cake turn out dry before. Yes, the chocolate can be bitter. You have to be careful sweetening chocolate with stevia products: they bring out bitter compounds in each other. I would gently warm the heavy cream then sweeten with Swerve - make sure it dissolves completely before getting it hot and adding the chocolate. The erythritol in the ganache may try to make a crust as it cools, so work quickly (you don't have to rush). I make my cakes before and park them in the fridge until needed, so the cool cake helps the ganache set. If you are a slow worker, it may be better to put the ganache on a room temperature cake. I hope this helps, Letty and that you enjoy your birthday party - Happy Birthday! - Kim
Letty
Thanks for your response. I'm assuming when you say that the ganache might want to crust, you mean that it will harden or set quickly, so I have to spread it quickly before it begins to do this, right? I'm planning on adding 1 T of Swerve per cake topping. Do you think this is too much? I know we all have a different sweet tooth criteria, but just so you know, I really liked the sweetness level of the cake batter.
BTW I added the extra eggs & butter because of a muffin recipe, with similar ingredients, that turned out to have a really moist texture. So, here's hoping. 😄
Again your recipes & your time are greatly appreciated.
Letty
Kim
Hi Letty. I think you should be fine. You sound like an experienced baker. I don't think you will have any problems with the ganache. -Kim
Letty
Hi Kim,
I wanted to let you know that my cake turned out delicious. Thank you so much for your recipe. I over-heated my first attempt at the ganache, but on my second attempt I followed the recommendations you gave Sue and it turned out great.
Thanks again!
Letty
Kim
I'm so glad it turned out, Letty! It's easy to overheat the chocolate the first time. Everyone does. It breaks (separates) and smells/tastes awful. The happy thing is that you probably wont do it again. Thanks for taking the time to come back and tell me about the cake. Enjoy your week. -Kim
sue
thank you so much for your help......will try chocolate cake again. in the ingredients, you use Sukrin... then a colon and the number 1. what does that mean? I have used Swerve confectioners....could that have made the cake dry? Do you find the Sukrin to be easier to work with? After taste?....... Really enjoy your recipes... thanks
Kim
Hi Sue. Sukrin:1 is Sukrin's 1:1 sugar replacement. You should be able to use the Swerve. I don't know how much fiber they have in it, but if you are in doubt add 1 tbsp of oil to the batter - and make sure not to over-bake. -Kim
sue
I made this the other day. I was anxious to try it. I have made several of your recipes. This did not work for me. I now have seen your comment about sifting the cocoa. Perhaps that is the reason the cake was very dry. I understand that. Then making the ganache, it looked great and then completely separated. I could not get it back together. I would appreciate your thoughts as I would like to try the brownies. Thank you.......
Kim
Hi Sue. Sorry I wasn't able to get to this until after I got my kids to school this AM. I'm sorry your cake came out dry. Yes, compaction of cocoa powder can absolutely cause a cake to be dry because you end up using more cocoa than the recipe calls for. Ovens do vary in temperature and I'm working with a 25 year old builder's model gas oven. I would check the cake 10 minutes before "due time" to make sure it isn't going to over bake. When done, laying a clean towel over it until it's cool will trap in moisture. If you find any particular recipe to be dry upon making it twice (sometimes differing ingredients can be the culprit - for example Swerve has fiber in it and it may tip the balance?) you can add 2 tbsp of oil to the batter and it helps. These are tricks I have learned over the years.
As for the ganache... Ganache usually breaks because the chocolate got too hot and it seized or water from a whisk or spoon (or steam) got into the mixture while trying to mix it together. It's frustrating. It happened to me when I was making the Chocolate Truffles from Primal Blueprint which called for coconut milk. There was enough water in the coconut milk to cause it to break. No amount of stirring brought it back together. Heartbreaking.
Next time, heat the cream first until hot, then add the chocolate and leave it alone for 5 minutes before stirring. Then add very soft butter and stir gently again. That should take care of the problem.
Thanks for letting me know of the problems you encountered and I hope this helps, some. I'll see if I can make anything more clear in the recipe. Have a wonderful day. -Kim
Helena
I adore and love all of your recipes, and I have tried most of them, and every single one came out perfectly! My question would be can I completely remove Sukrin or any other sugar substitute from most of your recipes? I like to use Stevia Glycerite, but I have not tried your recipes without sugar substitute so I was just wondering can I somehow avoid it.
Kim
Hi Helena. Thank you for all of the kind words. Do you not use any granulated sweeteners? Without them, I think the texture of some of the recipes will be quite different. Be careful using only stevia glycerite in chocolate recipes because they may end up bitter. You'll have to try a recipe and see how it does. Sorry I couldn't be more help. -Kim
Martha
This recipe looks amazing, I can't wait to try it. I don't have access to sukrin or the other option. Can i use stevia instead and is it a 1:1 conversion?
Thanks!
Kim
Hi Martha. Since stevia is a super concentrated sweetener, you will not be able to do a 1:1 swap unless you have an erythritol/stevia blend that is a 1:1 sugar replacement. -Kim
Denise
Hi Kim,
Does the nutritional information include the chocolate ganache?
Kim
Yes, Denise. Enjoy! -Kim
Amber
Is there anything you can substitute for coconut flour? I'm allergic to both coconut and almond. I use walnut flour in love of the almond flour.
Kim
Hi Amber. I'm afraid that replacing two of the main ingredients with something else, may not result in a successful cake. It sometimes takes several weeks to get a recipe just right and replacing both of the almond flour and coconut flour would result in a completely different recipe. I want your results to be great, so I can't comfortably offer you a sub without testing several times, first. I just don't have the time to do that at the moment. You could make any of your favorite tried and true low carb chocolate cake recipes, replacing a portion of the low carb flour with ground walnuts. Then you can use this ganache recipe to put on the top. I'm sorry I could be of more help at this time. -Kim
Anu
This cake is INCREDIBLE! I think I'm in love :-))))) I didn't have any walnut oil so I used melted butter, and I was slightly short on walnuts so I had to use about 35g of ground pecans in the mix but it still tastes amazing! I was worried that the batter would be too sweet with the teaspoon of Stevia but as you say the walnuts needed the extra sweetness, and it turned out perfect! My ganache was 90% Lindt chocolate with about 5 drops of Stevia... Perfect :-) Thank you soooooooo much, you absolutely made my weekend. I think I have found my birthday cake! And for that one I'll definitely splurge on the walnut oil :-)
Kim
I'm thrilled you like the cake. Someone else used pecans, too and really liked the combination. I'm glad you found a suitable birthday cake. Happy birthday! Thank you for your nice comment and have a great week. -Kim
Cheryl
This cake! It was so moist. It's one of my favorites and looks so pretty to serve to guests. Thank you,
Kim
Fantastic, Cheryl. I'm so happy you like it. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and rating. Have a great weekend! -Kim
Valerie
Hi! I don't see how long to let the cake cool in the pan. Remove from pan after 10 minutes?
Kim
Okay Valerie. Thanks for letting me know I need to add another sentence. After the cake cools completely with the tea towel, release the cake from the sides of the pan with a small knife run along the edge, then turn out of the pan. I could have said that a little better, but I think you get the picture. Let me k i.e. If you have any more questions. -Kim
Sara
Can I use pecans instead of walnuts. I have both the oil and nuts that I need to use up.
Kim
I don't see why you couldn't. I'd love to hear how it tastes! -Kim
Sonia
Hi Kim...may I please have the original recipe .....the dairy free one? Have you made other changes too ...that is other than using dairy? Would be nice if I could have that recipe please. Thanks.
Kim
Hi Sonia. The only change was using coconut milk in the cake and I have a recipe for coconut milk chocolate ganache on the site that I linked to. You can use the recipe for the ganache included in the recipe by using dairy-free chocolate, coconut milk and coconut oil. Let me know if I need to clarify. Enjoy the cake. -Kim
Sonia
Hi Kim.. am unable to find the link for the chocolate coconut milk ganache in the recipe.Am I looking in the right place? Thanks.
Kim
Sonia. Sorry about the confusion. I was on my phone last night and not about to link. Here is the link for the coconut milk ganache, or you can change the existing ganache recipe in the recipe by using dairy free chocolate, coconut milk and coconut oil to replace the other ingredients. Enjoy the cake. -Kim
Sarah
Hi! You mention that the sukrin is a 1:1 substitution. What about the glycerite? I live overseas and was wondering about subbing maple syrup?
Kim
Great question. The Stevia glycerine is concentrated. You can sub any Stevia you have or use more of your favorite sweetener to taste. Have a nice day. -Kim
Melissa
I have to say this is one of my favorite chocolate low carb desserts. Delicious!! Love, love, love!! Thanks for the great recipes. I am loving trying a new one everyday.
Kim
Melissa, I am sooooo glad you like the recipe. It's one of my favorites, too. Have a wonderful week. -Kim
Dee
What can you use if you don't have stevia glycerite?
Kim
Hi Dee, great question. You can add more Erythritol based sweetener to taste, but I dislike the cooking effect of them ( and Swerve tends to burn my throat) so I use less and add Stevia. Enjoy the the cake. -Kim
Marie
This looks amazing - I’ve just spent the last hour looking at all your fab recipes!
My idea is to use this as the cake base for a birthday layer cake.
I thought I’d bake it in 2 6inch spring pans and fill with a combo of cream whipped with sugar-free Nutella. Do you think the recipe here would stretch to 2 pans? I’d obvs watch the time - I’d assume they would need to bake for a shorter amount.
To enhance the flavour, I thought of making it with hazelnuts instead of walnuts - would that work? And should I perhaps roast the hazelnuts before chopping?
Any input gratefully received!
Kim
Hi Marie. Yes, this recipe will work for two 6 inch pans. I made a raspberry yogurt mousse to fill it with and it was wonderful. That was two years ago. The photos were terrible so I never shared it. The raspberry mousse recipe is on the site - for the filling I did not lighten the mousse with egg whites like the recipe states. I made chocolate whipped cream to cover. I hope you enjoy the cake. Remember that all ovens are different, so watch it as it bakes. I find that I have to check things at least 10-15 minutes early with my new oven. -Kim
Lorraine
What beautiful photography!
I can't wait to try this cake. I just bought a new bag of Guittard chocolate and it is calling my name.
Kim
Thank you. Lorraine. I hope you enjoy the cake. The Guittard will be divine. Enjoy your week. -Kim
Bethany
So simple, and yet, so beautiful! Looks like the perfect cake!
Kim
Thanks so much, Bethany! Enjoy your week. -Kim
Sonia
Hi Kim...this looks droolworthy and totally worth the effort. Couple of questions though... (1)for an 8x8 cake how many times of the basic recipe would I need? (2)How many regular sized cupcakes does
One recipe make? And i am currently using Hersheys Dark Special cocoa. (3) Will that work here or do I need to adjust the amount of cocoa used? Thanks for being so prompt in answering our queries.
Kim
Hi Sonia. I'm actually updating both the recipe and the photos as we speak. This recipe is great as-is, but I just wanted to freshen-it-up a bit. You can make it in an 8x8. I do all the time. You do not have to scale the recipe at all. It makes a beautiful snick cake size. It will make more than 12 cupcakes. Don't adjust the amount of cocoa powder, but make sure to sift the cocoa powder before using because it packs really hard in the container and makes lumps. If you don't sift it, you will use at least double the amount and your cake will be dry. Take it out when it still feels and sounds moist, but a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Enjoy the cake. I love it with the coconut milk. It makes a very moist cake. -Kim
Amber
I'm curious what kind of coconut milk is being used? The stuff in a carton or the full fat canned kind? Thank you!
Kim
Great question, Amber. I used full fat. I'll add that info to the recipe layer today. Have a nice day. -Kim
Debbie T
"Measure walnuts and process in a food processor until a fine meal. There will be some bigger pieces and this is okay, just don't let it become a paste.
Measure the dry chocolate cake ingredients in a medium bowl and stir thoroughly with a large whisk to combine."
Unclear to me if the walnut meal is added to the dry ingredients or used as the topping. I'm assuming it's added to dry ingredients and chopped walnuts used as topping. I don't process information as well as most, sorry.
Kim
No apologies needed, Debbie! This was one of my first blog posts and needs some updating. I did a quick update to the recipe that I hope will read a little easier. It's basically combine the dry ingredients (including the nuts), combine the wet ingredients and then add them together. I used extra nuts for the top and made a ganache topping. I'll try to update the whole post, photos and recipe this month. Thanks for letting me know the instructions needed clarification. Have a great week. -Kim
Debra
Deliscious! I love the walnut taste throughout. great idea to use walnut oil. Thanks for the recipe
Kim
Debra, this is one of my favorite cakes. I'm glad you enjoyed it, too. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Enjoy your weekend. -Kim
Debra Johnson
You're cake recipes look terrific! I'd like to try this one. I use Swerve. How will the stevia glycerite be affected? Do I reduce the amount, not use it, etc?
Thanks bunches!
Kim
Hi Debra. Do you have stevia glycerite? Swerve and Sukrin are both 1:1 sugar replacements so the swap should be the same. I tend to under-sweeten so sweeten per your taste as you go. This cake is really good. I need to update the photo. I have also used it in a birthday cake with a raspberry mousse filling for my son's birthday. It was absolutely amazing! Enjoy. -Kim
Lori Meislin Foster
This looks amazing! Makes the choice on what to bake really difficult! Thanks so much....I'm thinking Easter cake!
Kim
Thanks Lori. It is such a good recipe. It definitely deserves an updated picture! I hope you enjoy it! Have a wonderful weekend. -Kim
Yvonne A.
I didn't see the size of cake pan used - 8"? Thanks.
Kim
Sorry, Yvonne. It was an 8 x 2 inch. I'll check the recipe and add it. -Kim
Elaine Markley
I really love your website and the way it looks, Kim!
Kim
Elaine, you are always so nice to me. Thanks so much! I really appreciate it. ;) -Kim