Brown Butter Walnut Cake with Chocolate-Mocha Ganache

This post is yet again an example of how I procrastinate when it comes to studying or making a presentation. Whichever. This is going to be a lovely tale about a "magnifique" cake. 

I got my inspiration to make that brown butter walnut sensation from Procrastobaker. It is seriously one of the best things I've ever baked. I do not think the photos do justice when I tried to catch how breath-taking the cake is once a bite lands in your mouth... It is crispy on the outside and so juicy in the inside and the chocolate-mocha ganache goes just perfectly well with it. I changed the original recipe a bit, as I worked with walnuts and I added a layer of chocolate cream inside the cake, as well. Also, it is important to add that it is best one day after it was made. While it chilled in the fridge. Oh my... It was such a hit! Definitely going to make it again...and again... :) But I won't keep you on your toes and fill you in with this lovely recipe!

Brown Butter Walnut Cake with Chocolate-Mocha Ganache

adapted from Smitten Kitchen 's recipe

for a 25 cm round cake pan

for the cake

1-1,5 cup walnuts - I used 1,5 cups

225 grams butter

1 vanilla bean

260 grams powdered sugar - I used raw cane sugar

43 grams flour - I used whole wheat spelt flour

6 egg whites - I had an oops moment and used 7, it was more fluffy (which is good in my book)

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

for the ganache

220 grams chocolate

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon instant coffee

Preheat oven to 175C. Toast the walnuts for about 10 minutes or until they start to smell and lose their skin. Let them cool and when they are cooled, wear some cooking gloves and rub the nuts' skin off. 

Put parchment paper on the cake pan and butter the bottom a bit.

Here comes the fun part. Put the butter in a saucepan. Add the inside of the vanilla bean to the butter and start melting it. 

Cook it until the butter is brown and smells very delicious. 

Set it aside to cool. 

While the brown butter is cooling, grind the nuts with the powdered sugar (or as I did, with the cane sugar) until it is finely ground.

Put it in a bowl and add the flour in it.

Whisk the egg whites with the 3 tablespoons of sugar until they are fully whisked and form peaks.

Now, carefully fold the dry ingredients and the brown butter to the egg whites, a third of a time. 

Pour the batter to the cake pan and bake it for about 40 or 50 minutes. 

When the cake is ready, let it cool for about half an hour. 

While the cake is baking in the oven, let's do the ganache. 

Put the heavy cream into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add the chocolate and the coffee and stir it until it forms a cream. Let it cool.

When the cake cooled down, cut it in half and add half of the ganache to it. Put the top back and spread the other half of the chocolate cream.

Put the cake in the fridge and be patient till the next day because I promise, it is WAY better the next day :)

“Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Scharffen Berger.”