An easy Walnut Cake with Vanilla Cream Recipe to go with your coffee or to serve on a special occasion. Dairy-Free, Simple & Delicious.
We’re right in the middle of the last month of the year and starting the holiday celebrations in isolation with a …. cake, of course! Because cake makes everything better.
This Walnut Cake with Vanilla Cream is the perfect comfort winter cake – the flavor of walnuts is complemented with light vanilla cream, and the unexpected lemon taste adds an extra zing to it! It may sound weird combining walnuts, vanilla, and lemon, but it totally works, and the lemon flavor is just a hint and not overwhelming the other flavors.
This is one of our favorite winter cakes to make and reminds us of our families and home. It’s very traditional, but still really easy to make.
What is more, you can make the sponge cake and vanilla cream a day ahead, to save time.
How to make the walnut sponge cake?
Start by preheating your oven to 180°C / 350°F (fan oven 160°C / 320°F). Next, prepare your cake tin – line the bottom with parchment paper, grease the sides, and dust lightly with flour. We used a 20 cm / 8-inch cake tin for this recipe.
Next, make your sponge cake by separating egg yolks and whites. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.
In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and water into a fluffy mixture. Then, add grated lemon peel and ground walnuts, and fold it in the mixture with a spatula.
Sift flour with baking powder on top of the egg mixture and carefully fold in. Make sure to not overmix your batter, and keep it light and fluffy.
Lastly, gently fold in the whipped egg whites, then pour the batter into the cake tin and place in the oven to bake for about 25-30 minutes.
When the cake looks done and has a lovely gold color, I check it with a toothpick – I insert the toothpick into a few spots straight into the cake and remove it. The toothpick should come out clean, with no batter clinging to it.
When your cake is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool, then cut twice to get 3 sponge layers.
You can make the sponge cake a day ahead, and have less work the day of.
How to make the dairy-free vanilla cream filling?
To make the cream, pour plant-based milk into a pot. Cut the vanilla pod, scrape the seeds and add both the seeds and the pod to the milk. Add a pinch of salt, mix, bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
In a separate bowl whisk egg yolks, sugar, and flour. Strain the vanilla milk and while still hot slowly pour it into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
Then, return the mixture to the pot and cook on medium heat for another 2 minutes while stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Make sure to really stir your cream, as otherwise it can stick to the bottom of your pot and burn. By this time the cream should be thick as pudding. Now remove it from the heat, add to a glass bowl, and line the cream on top with clinging foil – make sure the foil sticks to the cream, this will prevent a stiff top layer.
Set the cream aside to cool completely – you can even make it a day ahead and keep refrigerated until ready to assemble your cake.
How to assemble and decorate the cake?
First, sprinkle each layer of the sponge cake with some plant-based milk. Place the first layer on your serving dish, then pipe the cream with a piping bag on top. Top with the second sponge layer and repeat. Finish with the third sponge layer.
To decorate, whip some plant-based whipping cream until stiff and spread evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Then, decorate the cake to your liking, and finish with a sprinkle of ground walnuts and some freshly grated lemon peel. We also added a whole walnut right in the middle of the cake!
Once decorated, we recommend letting the cake chill for at least 4 hours, or even better overnight.
How to store the walnut cake with vanilla cream?
Store refrigerated for up to 3 days. We recommend storing in an air-tight container for best results.
You can even freeze this cake. Cut into slices, then keep frozen for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat it, remove it from the freezer and let thaw before serving.
Is this cake vegan?
Sadly, this cake is not vegan, as it uses eggs in the sponge cake and in the cream. We have not yet tried a replacement that would work, but if you do, please let us know in the comments below!
This cake is vegetarian though!
Walnut Cake with Vanilla Cream {Dairy-Free}
An easy Walnut Cake with Vanilla Cream Recipe to go with your coffee or to serve on a special occasion. Dairy-Free, Simple & Delicious.
Ingredients
Sponge cake:
- 4 eggs
- 120 grams of sugar
- 4 tbsp water
- peel of 1 lemon
- 110 grams walnuts, ground
- 120 grams flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
Cream:
- 2 cups soy milk (or other plant-based milk)
- 1 vanilla pod
- pinch of salt
- 6 egg yolks, separated
- 130 grams of sugar
- 40 grams of flour
Decoration:
- 200 ml plant-based whipped cream
- ground walnuts
- lemon peel
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F. Line a 20 cm / 8-inch cake tin with parchment paper on the bottom, grease the sides, and dust lightly with flour.
- Make the sponge cake: Crack open the 4 eggs and separate egg yolks from the egg whites. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks, 120 grams of sugar, and 4 tbsp of water into a fluffy mixture. Add grated lemon peel, 110 grams of ground walnuts, and fold in the mixture with a spatula. Sift 120 grams of flour and 1 tsp baking powder on top of the egg mixture and carefully fold in, making sure to not overmix. Lastly, gently fold in the whipped egg whites. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and place in the preheated oven.
- Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes at 180°C / 350°F (fan oven 160°C / 320°F). Check with a toothpick when the spongecake is done, then remove it from the oven and set it aside to cool. Once cooled, cut twice to get 3 sponge layers.
- Make the vanilla cream: Pour 2 cups of soy milk into a pot. Cut the vanilla pod, scrape the seeds and add both the seeds and the pod to the milk. Add a pinch of salt, mix, bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
- In a separate bowl whisk 6 egg yolks, 130 grams of sugar, and 40 grams of flour. Strain the vanilla milk and while still hot slowly pour into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Then, return the mixture to the pot and cook on medium heat for another 2 minutes while stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (it should resemble pudding). Once thickened, remove from heat, add to a glass bowl, and line the cream on top with clinging foil. Set aside to cool completely.
- Assemble the cake: Sprinkle the sponge cake with some plant-based milk. Add the cream to a piping bag and pipe it on top of the first sponge layer. Top with the second sponge layer and repeat. Finish with the third sponge layer.
- Whip 200 ml plant-based whipping cream until stiff and spread evenly over the top and sides of the cake. With a piping bag, decorate the cake to your liking, and finish with a sprinkle of ground walnuts and some freshly grated lemon peel.
- Let chill in your refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Store refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 325Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 188mgSodium: 121mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 2gSugar: 27gProtein: 9g
Nutrition data is automatically calculated using Nutritionix and may not be accurate.
This recipe is brought to you by Hofer Slovenija.
Find more dessert recipes here.
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