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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 Fisher Brand 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!
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hi Natasha! First of all, thank you for all your amazing recipes. And especially this royal walnut cake. This has been the best cake baking experience I have ever had. And my guests keep telling everyone about this cake. I have a question about the frosting. My son’s birthday coming up and he wants cupcakes. I wanted to use this Russian buttercream to frost cupcakes with addition of a bit of food coloring. Have you ever used it for piping? Just wondering how it behaves, if it would get runny fast or is it pretty much like regular buttercream? Thank you!!
Hi Natasha, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Hi Natasha. So I tried Russian buttercream on vanilla cupcakes. It pipes beautifully. However, buttery frosting like this with vanilla cupcake is not as amazing as walnut cake, which is definitely superior. Becauwe of the drier texture of cupcake Russian buttercream reminded me of eating bread with butter, although it tasted great. Perhaps I will try to moisten cupcakes with simple syrup next time. Thank you so much!!
Hi!
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I made the cake and it was delicious however the cake part wasn’t as fluffy as I would’ve liked… any advice?
Thanks so much!
Hi Sarah, the typical culprit is under beating the eggs and sugar since the cake relies on the volume of eggs and sugar to rise. Check out our sponge cake post with the tips we shared there to see where things may have gone wrong.
Hi Natasha, I liked the recipe, but for me a bit confusing, kindly make it more clear, as I want to make a routine for our daily snacks, please if you could send me a simpler recipe of cake with walnuts, I will be really grateful
to you and obliged.
Also, I have a question for rum what is the substitute of rum if we like to add in it.
Hi Shabana, you can just use a simple syrup of sugar water, or add a little lemon juice also for extra flavor. You can also use a light-colored juice, like white grape juice.
Hi! Can I bake this using smaller pans? Probably 8 inches or 6 inches? Or should I cut down the recipe?
Thank you.
Hi Laine, I have not tested this in a 6 or 8-inch pan to advise, I worry the batter will overwhelm and overflow the pan. If you happen to experiment please let us know how you like that but also keep in mind you may need to make less batter or divide between to smaller pans. I hope this is helpful.
Hi Shabana, I’m happy to answer your questions. Which part are you having trouble with?
Hi Natasha, I have a question about rum. How do you choose which rum to use for which recipe? Does it matter whether certain one’s used for baking and another one’s used for sauce or frosting? I would like to get one that’s “universal” what would you suggest?
I honestly have been buying the golden rum and just using it for all the baking. I think the dark and golden can be used interchangeably though so use what you have on hand.
Thank you Natasha for the easiest cake recipe. It was the most delicious cake. It took me 2 hours to make it. Fast and easy. Thank you!!!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review Nina!
I made the Royal Walnut Cake for my dad’s birthday. It was a huge hit. Not only was it beautiful, but the flavor was amazing! Even my husband, who doesn’t like cake, loved it. I will definitely be making this again. It was easy to make just a little time consuming. Thank you Natasha
That’s so great Karla!! I’m so happy you found a new family favorite on our blog! Thank you for sharing that awesome feedback with me!
I apsolutely love your recepies easy to follow I was never a cake baker but now my family is enjoying many of your recepies. Thank you for all great videos and explanations. Tatjana from Canada.
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles!
This is probably a simple question for someone who bakes, but I want to make sure mine turns out like this masterpiece! Can I double this recipe for 2 cakes and bake them simultaneously without any problems? Any tips for cooking 2 cakes at once? Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Pavel, I haven’t tested this recipe by doubling so I am unable to advise. I imagine it would work, if you experiment please let me know how you like this recipe.
Hello,
The flavors on this cake are amazing.
Is there a way of turning this recipe into cupcakes? The cream and ganache would work perfectly. But do you have a solution for making the cake a bit more dense?
Thanks,
Anz
Hi Anz! I haven’t tested that but I think it could work with a little creativity. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
I want everyone not to make the same mistake that I did I served this cake to my guess without letting it come to room temperature for an hour and that was a big mistake because the icing was too hard the next day when I served leftovers to my family it was so much better at room temperature when the icing is soft
It tastes so much better at room temperature then chilled I would prefer it a little bit sweeter and I’m wondering if you think I could add one cup of Eagle brand milk instead of 3/4 cup
Yes! Thank you for sharing that with us, Jan!
Hello Natasha,
I am just about to start the assembly of this beautiful looking cake. I am planning on serving it for New Year’s Eve. How far ahead can it be made and kept in the refrigerator before serving? Thank you and Happy New Year.
Hi Christine, you can make it now and serve it New Year’s Eve. This cake even freezes well.
Hi Natasha! I’m going to make this cake for New Year’s Eve for about 12-13 people. Would you recommend to use 10-inch baking pan? If yes, should I increase the proportions?
Hi Inessa, I haven’t tried this in a 10″ pan so I won’t be able to give you exact advice on that but I would increase the proportions for a 10″ cake or the cake will be short.
I don’t remember how I came across this recipe, but I’m so glad I did! It looked beautiful and sounded delicious and I already had everything on hand, so that made it the winner of my “what to make for a special Christmas dessert”. It came out perfect and everyone loved it! I was happy to find a frosting that’s not loaded with powdered sugar. The subtle sweetness is nice with the richness of the nuts and butter. We were discussing after dinner different variations, like lemon or orange in place of rum or even adding a layer of jam in the center. Definitely a keeper – thanks!
You’re so welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Can rum be substituted for anything else?
Thank you
Hi Dee, you could use a simple sugar water syrup and add a little lemon or vanilla to taste, or just leave it at the simple syrup.
Can’t wait to bake this cake for Christmas! But first I wanted to ask if I could use sgushenka for the buttercream frosting…I feel it should be alright, but my friend told me it tastes way different than the brands in the supermarket and I don’t want to mess up. Just want to make sure considering theres a lot of family to impress with this cake haha.
Hi Diana, yes as far as I know, it is just the same thing as sweetened condensed milk. I haven’t noticed a difference.
This cake is absolutely fabulous. Very delicious, perfect texture, the layers hold together just right, look and taste professional. Not as sweet as American cakes usually are, so flavors are a bit more subtle.
Thank you for that wonderful feedback Eric!!
Thank you so much Natasha for all your detailed step by step instructions, tips, advice and videos! I never would had attempted to make this incredible cake without it all as it gave me the confidence to try. Your amazing just like all your recipes!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful commment, Shania! I’m happy you enjoyed this!
Made it today and it came out beautifully. Not sure if I messed up on the quantities but ended with more chocolate sauce then I needed. Not a big concern since I just dipped some cookies in it 😂
Question, this was a practice run for my son’s first birthday. For the actual birthday I want to decorate it with some colours can the Russian icing be piped to look like grass so I can place some safari anamial in it ?? Any suggestions ??
Thanks Asia
I think that would look so great! I’d assume using a pipping tip for grass would be best. I’d love to know how this works out for you!
Yum 😋 yum 😋 yum 😋!!!! I’ve made this cake over and over agin for parties and holidays and then I even got asked to make it for a wedding! This is mouthwatering!!!!!! 💦💦💦 Everyone loves this cake! I love that it’s not too sweet and just perfect 👌!!! And the nuts….. ohhhhhh I love nuts in almost anything I bake and this cake is just loaded with them! This is definitely one of my favorites!!!!
That’s so awesome!
Hi Natasha,I baked your walnut cake today for my husband’s birthday and it’s absolutely amazing!!I baked it in one cake pan for 50 min on 165 degrees/fan and then I made some vanilla buttercream frosting because I didn’t have any condensed milk. I highly recommend this recipe if anyone needs to make a fluffy and delicious walnut cake🌟.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Just made it last night, so far everyone loves it. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
That’s so great! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made your royal walnut cake and the cake turned out well however the Russian buttercream ended up tasting and having the consistency of butter and the cream looked just like yours. It seems that their is too much butter in the recipe. Is this correct?
Hi Gabby, it is a different type of buttercream compared to American buttercream which tends to be super sweet. This one is not quite as sweet so the butter does come through more in the flavor.
Hello, I loved the cake! It was so good. You mentioned that you can freeze it. Do you freeze it with the ganache on top?
Rita
Hi Rita, yes, I refrigerate first to get the cream and ganache to set so it’s easier to cover with plastic wrap then I put the entire decorated cake in the freezer 🙂
Hello Natasha, how do you defrost it? Thanks -Natalia-
Hi Natalia, I let it thaw in the fridge overnight and then bring it to room temperature for a few hours for the cream to soften.
This is one of my favorite cakes! It is surprisingly easy and absolutely delicious! Thank you for all of your wonderful and creative recipes!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe as much as I do! Thanks for following and sharing your great review!
Ooopsss! I just saw your note below splash of vanilla or lemon juice if I don’t want to use rum. 🙂
So glad you found it! 🙂 I hope you love the cake!
Sorry I just realised there isn’t any butter being used for the cake. Will it be fine if I add butter to it?
Hi Endarah, I used butter in my chocolate sponge cake but keep in mind butter can make a cake more likely to deflate. If you choose to experiment, make sure the butter is completely at room temp and bake right away or it can deflate. Fold it in at the end just until blended and do not overmix.
Hey Natasha. Could I make this day in the morning and serve it in the evening? Or does it have to stay in the fridge overnight?
There is no need for it to sit overnight unless that is your preference. We normally let it rest for about 30 minutes to an hour in the fridge.