Ice Box Black Walnut Cake

[PJ]

I would like to have the recipe for Ice-box black walnut cake I had several years ago at a restaurant that no longer exists. Can anyone provide a yummy recipe for me? This cake I remember had a creamy light frosting. And it was chilled. Thanks PJ

[Svadhisthana]

I don't have a recipe but you could try searching on: www.SOAR.Berkeley.edu
and www.allrecipes.com


I hope you find it.

[nancya]

Dear PJ,

I found a recipe in the White House Cookbook [1828] for a walnut cake:

"Two cups of fine white sugar creamed with half a cup of butter, three eggs, two-thirds of a cup of sweet milk, three cups of sifted flour, three teaspoonfuls of baking powder sifted through the flour; a tablespoonful (level) of powdered mace, a cup of hickory nut or walnut meats chopped a little. Fill the cake pans with a layer of the cake, then a layer of raisins upon that, then strew over these a handful of nuts, and so on until the pan is two-thirds full. Line the tins with well-buttered paper and bake in a steady, but not quick, oven. This is most excellent."

There is a similar recipe for walnut cake - with more modern instructions - in the Culinary Arts Institute Cookbook. If you want that recipe, will be happy to send it to you. Happy baking.

[ June 05, 2001: Message edited by: nancya ]

[PJ]

Dear Svadhisthana,

I have spent hours on the computer scanning different food web-sites including the one you mentioned. I am just not having any luck. I looked through all my cookbooks, and can't find a recipe for Black Walnut cake. I am stunned! Hope somebody can ease my pain. Help!Help

pj,

I went to epicurious.com (the site for bon appetit and gourmet magazines), and they had a recipe for jiffy black walnut cake. It didn't have a frosting with it, but at least it's a start.

monsta

[PJ]

Thanks to Nancya for the WhiteHouse Cookbook recipe. And thank you Monstagrrrl, for the suggestion of the Epicurious web-page for the Jiffy cake.

After much searching, I happened onto the www.virtualcities.com site, and found a wonderful recipe there. Only thing I changed was the recipe for the frosting. I didn't want a cream cheese type frosting. The cake I remembered had a light fluffy frosting. So, I used 3 beaten egg whites, and 1 cup heavy cream. Then I mixed in I think two cups of powdered sugar. I added vanilla, and 1/4 cup chopped black walunts to finish. I sprinkled in about 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. It turned out great. I was so thrilled, and I got raves on the cake. I did refrigerate it though, because of the light frosting. It was very delicate. Finally, I found the recipe I was looking for. But, I plan on trying the White House recipe just for grins. Thank you so much for the input. PJ

[PJ]

More on the Black Walnut Cake adventure, once I made the cake and it was a hit, I decided to make it again. But, finding black walnuts this time of year is almost impossible. Then, I found a web-site for nuts. Hammondsproducts.com I ordered a big supply of black walnuts to store in my freezer for the cakes, and whatever else I might want black walnuts for. So, I am taken care of friends. Thanks for everybody's help. I love this website. Friendly, caring people who share their time with ideas and recipes for those lost souls like me in a dilemma with a lost recipe. I really appreciate all you kind folks! PJ

[mudbug]

PJ,

FYI: In case you want to try any variations on the recipe.... look here.

Black Walnut Cake Recipes