This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
This Royal Walnut Cake is as pretty as it is irresistibly delicious! The Russian buttercream frosting made with sweetened condensed milk is tantalizingly good! Keep an eye on the whisk that mixes the cream – someone else will surely try to lick it! Ha! Truly it’s delicious and like no other buttercream you’ve tried before!
This recipe is sponsored by Fisher Nuts and the cake is loaded with toasted walnuts which infuse the cake with rich flavor. I kept the decorations simple so even if you’re not super skilled in the cake decor department, YOU CAN DO THIS!!
You could simplify it even more by omitting the ganache and just coating in finely chopped nuts all around which would be beautiful but I thought the ganache was a nice touch for the holidays and a flowing layer of chocolate sauce never hurt anyone! 😉
Big thank you to our friends at Fisher Nuts for sponsoring this recipe – I trust Fisher brand because they don’t use preservatives and are non GMO project verified! Its the nuts and only nuts – just like you had popped them out of the shell yourself, minus all the effort and blisters. lol. You’ll recognize the right nuts by their bold blue “Fisher” brand bags.
Watch How to Make this Royal Walnut Cake:
Since the frosting is a buttercream, it is best served at room temperature when the frosting is soft. You can make this cake even 2 days in advance, cover and refrigerate and then bring to room temperature before serving. I have this same cake in the freezer (saving it for Christmas!) I just love make-ahead desserts and if you’re into that sort of thing, you’ll be surprised this dessert is also freezer friendly!
Everything about this cake is good. Simple, but so good! I hope it makes your holiday’s more merry and bright!
Royal Walnut Cake (VIDEO Recipe)
Ingredients
For the Walnut Cake:
- 2 cups walnuts, halves and pieces
- 6 eggs, (large), room temp
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
For the Russian Buttercream:
- 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk, (2/3 of a 14 oz can)
- 2 egg yolks, (large)
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter , (3 sticks), softened at room temperature
For the Simple Cake Syrup (stir these ingredients together):
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 Tbsp rum, I used Bacardi golden rum*
For the Chocolate Sauce/ Ganache:
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate chips, (1/4 lb by weight, or 2/3 cup by dry measuring cup)
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
How to Make the Royal Walnut Cake:
- Toast 2 cups walnuts on a dry skillet over medium/high heat until fragrant and golden (5 minutes), tossing often. Cool to room temperature then finely chop or pulse in food processor.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line the bottoms of two 9" baking pans with parchment paper (do not grease the pan). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat eggs for 1 minute until foam. With mixer on, add 1 cup sugar in a steady stream then beat on high speed 8 minutes. Batter will be fluffy and a thick ribbon will form when you lift up batter.
- Whisk together 1 cup flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder and sift it into the egg mixture in 3 increments. Gently fold in 1/4 of your cooled chopped nuts and divide batter evenly between 2 prepared pans. Bake right away in fully preheated oven at 350˚F for 23-28 min(I find it's perfect at 25 min). Let rest in the pans 5 min then run a thin spatula or knife around the edges of pan to loosen cake and transfer cakes to wire rack to cool completely to room temp.
How to Make Russian Buttercream:
- In a small sauce pan, off the heat, whisk together 2 egg yolks, 3/4 cup condensed milk, 1 Tbsp water, and 1/2 tsp vanilla until smooth.
- Place over low heat. Continue stirring frequently and stir constantly as it starts to thicken – DO NOT BOIL. When it’s ready, it will be the consistency of uncooked sweetened condensed milk. Total time on the stove: 5-7 minutes. Remove mixture from heat and let custard cool completely to room temp. It will thicken more as it cools.
- Beat softened butter in a mixer with whisk attachment for 5 minutes on high speed until white and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add room temp custard mixture 1 heaping Tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed for a few seconds with each addition. Once all of the custard is incorporated, scrape down the bowl and beat another 2 minutes on high speed. Reserve 1 cup of cream and set aside (you'll use this to coat the top and sides of cake). Fold in 1/4 of your toasted cooled nuts into remaining big batch of cream.
Assembling the Walnut Cake:
- Line the edges of a cake platter with strips of parchment paper (this will make cleanup easier). Place first cake layer on the platter and spoon half of the syrup evenly over the top. Top with all of your walnut buttercream and spread evenly. Add the next cake layer and spoon the remaining syrup over the top. Coat the sides and top of the cake evenly with remaining 1 cup of buttercream.
- Apply the remaining finely chopped walnuts to the sides of the cake only, scooping it on with your hand and gently pressing for the nuts to adhere to the frosting. Now make your ganache (see below). Once ganache has rested 5-10 minutes, spread it evenly over the top of the cake, allowing some of it to drip down the sides of the cake. Let cake rest until ganache is set (you can refrigerate 30 min if desired).
How to Make Chocolate Ganache:
- Place 1/4 lb of chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl. Pour 1/2 cup heavy cream into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. When it's just at a uniform simmer, pour over the chocolate chips ensuring chocolate is fully submerged in cream. Cover bowl with lid and let sit at room temp 15 min then whisk until a silky chocolate sauce forms. Let ganache rest 5-10 min to thicken slightly but still be loose enough to pour over the cake and drip down the sides.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fisher nuts. The opinions and text are all mine. I hope this beautiful walnut cake gives you great holiday inspiration!!
We are all about generous slices! I hope you and your family love this Royal Walnut Cake!
Hi, Natsha!
I was wondering what can get for my boyfriend this year and i came across this and fell in love at once. I’m so gonna make this for him next week but I don’t have any rum at home. Could you suggest something else instead of rum, please? thanks 🙂
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe. I made this cake today for my husband’s birthday and it was a big hit. Everybody loved it. It’s one of if not the best cake I’ve ever tasted. God bless you Natasha <3
You’re welcome Fatine! I’m glad to hear how much you enjoy this recipe. Thanks for sharing your excellent review with other readers!
Hi.
I never used a cake syrup before. do you have to put that in the recipe? could I make the cake without it?
Susan
Hi Susan, with this classic sponge cake, the moisture and flavor comes from the syrup and I always add a syrup when making this particular base.
OMG — been studying this recipe for a holiday/ birthday cake. Kitchen conundrum:: I set the condensed milk mix in sink to cool and accidentally ran water into it!! thankfully, it cooled enough where I could run off the water and then reheated, and cooled it. It worked ok. Cake is gorgeous, delicious. These steps are not that daunting. I did it. Thanks!
You’re welcome Martin! I’m glad to hear the recipe was a success! Thanks for sharing 🙂
How do I store the cake if I want to make the layers today, then put cream tmrw, and then eat on Sunday?
Hi Sveta, you can do that – make the layers the first day then frost the following day and refrigerate until serving. Bring it to room temperature at least an hour before serving. I have also fully assembled and refrigerated this cake for a few days and it was still great. The frosting keeps well and nothing in this cake is easily perishable.
Hi so excited to try this recipe! would it be ok if I assembled
It today and then serve it 3 days ltr? Will it still be good?
Sel, you can do that – just make sure to bring it to room temperature at least an hour before serving. I have also fully assembled and refrigerated this cake for a few days and it was still great. The frosting keeps well and nothing in this cake is easily perishable.
Hi Natasha! Would it make a difference if i use pecans instead of walnut?
Amy, it won’t 😬
Hi Natasha. Is 1/2 teaspoon baking powder enough for 1 cup flour or can I use 1 teaspoon. Also, can I use this buttercream for the Ukrainian layered Medivnyk cake.
Hi Olga, the baking powder doesn’t make a big difference and I have found that 1/2 tsp was enough to help it rise a little more evenly. This cake relies on the volume of the eggs and sugar for leavening so it is critically important to adequately beat the eggs and sugar. I think this frosting is too buttery to be absorbed into the layers of a layered medivnyk cake. You can get some more ideas for layered cakes by viewing our spartak layered cakes here, or our medovik layered cake here.
Omg!!! This cake, I’m not much of a baker but made this cake 2 times in two weeks. It is supper easy to make and is so so so so good!! I don’t think I’ll ever want to try making any other cake 😁 that’s how good this is.!
That’s awesome! I’m happy to hear how much you love this recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review Anastasia!
I have made this cake before, and I love it–it is so delicious! Always a hit especially with my husband. I have to make this cake for a bigger crowd this weekend, and I’m wondering if I can bake it instead of a cake pan to use like a casserole dish? How would that work? Any advice?
Hi Lana, you will probably have to double the cake base if you want it to be a tall and impressive cake. Here is the strawberry cake that I created in a 9×13 pan. I hope that helps!!
Hi Natasha! Instead of using rum – do you think I could use the same syrup you use in your tiramisu recipe (coffee/sugar, omit rum). Do you think it’d be a good taste?
Hi Anna, I think that would work fine. You could even omit the rum and do a simple syrup of sugar and water and it would still taste good, but yes I do think this could work well as a coffee infused cake. If you try it, let me know how you like it! 🙂
Just bought everything to make a few of these for my son’s birthday.. I am considering making them 5 days in advance and freezing. Does the consistency of the cake or frosting change at all after defrosting? Any additional tips for freezing? I was thinking to put on a cake platter with lid and freeze that way..?
Hi Katie, the consistency seemed almost identical to me when I defrosted it. Whatever container you place it in, make sure it is airtight so it doesn’t absorb any freezer smells and to keep the extra moisture out. You can defrost in the fridge overnight or at room temperature if you need it ready sooner.
Thankyou 🙂
You’re welcome Katie!
I froze these cake layers previously, and now in the past few days I made the filling and ganache and finished assembling this cake. So I was finally able to try it. I can safely say it is one of the nicest cakes I have ever had the pleasure of eating! It is lovely to look at, and picky husband could find no fault, either! Imagine that! LOL So once again I will hunt down a piece of this later today and indulge in something so enjoyable!
That’s great! I’m so glad to hear how much you and your family enjoy the recipe! Thanks for following and sharing your excellent review Carol!
I can always depend on your recipes to turn out to perfection, and this cake is no exception. It is an absolute show stopper! I searched through so any recipes trying to decide on a cake to make and decided on this one. Boy oh boy, I can hardly wait to try it.It is beautiful!
I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying my recipes Carol! Please let me know what you think of this one! 🙂
My family and I LOVE this recipe. I made it couple of time. It’s my family’s favorite cake and even my aunt that doesn’t really eat sweets like it. So thanks you Natasha for this amazing recipe. We really LOVE LOVE IT.
You’re welcome Juliya! I’m happy to hear how much everyone enjoys the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
Thank you so much for posting such delicious recipes! Very yummy cake and the recipe is easy to follow. I have one question though…how come your cake layers always stay so perfectly straight? Mine look great once I take them out of the oven but once they rest a bit they tend to collapse…
Hi Julia, I would suggest beating the eggs 3 minutes longer and see if that helps. Also, flip your cake over onto a wire rack when it comes out of the oven and it will cool straight with the base being the top. I hope that makes sense 🙂
I am wondering if there is something I can use in place of the rum in the syrup?
Hi Michelle, If you prefer to keep it liquor free, you can just use a simple syrup of water and sugar. It will still taste great 🙂
Hi Natasha, could I potentially cover this cake with fondant? I am wondering if it is firm enough to hold (as a two tier). Thank you!
Hi Jelena, I haven’t tried that but this is a fairly soft cake so I’m not sure if fondant would be too heavy for it. I think it would work but I honestly don’t work with fondant so I can’t say for sure :). Sorry I’m totally not helpful with your question!
Natasha thank you for your recipes this cake is the best I’ve ever tried!
You’re welcome Miriam! I’m so glad to hear how much you love this recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Dear Natasha. I love your website and have tried so many of your recipes. .. they always turn out exactly as expected. .. delicious!!! I have just finished this Royal Walnut cake for a birthday tomorrow. It looks amazing. Thank you for putting such fabulous recipes up everyday that are easy to follow and taste and look so good. Xx l think I love you
LOL! I’m so happy to hear how much you love the recipes! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review and comments Beatrix!
Your page and recipes are amazing. I am Slovak (2nd generation). My daughter was brought up Slovak and my daughter-in-law is Latvian. I am sharing your recipes with them. My granddaughter, in her mind is Slovak, and is following in my footsteps when it comes to baking.
Thank you so much for following Mary! Please let me know what you and your family think of the recipes! 😀