This Greek walnut syrup cake is not too sweet as the walnuts balance the sweetness of the syrup. The recipe is by Tamara Milstein from her book Bake your cake & eat it too!
Preheat your oven to 190ºC (375ºF) and grease a 23cm (9″) springform cake tin. Beat 130g (4½ oz) of softened butter with 60g (2 oz) of white sugar and 40g (1½ oz) of dark brown sugar until light and fluffy. Separate 8 large eggs and add the egg yolks, one at a time until fully incorporated. Mix in the finely grated zest of 2 lemons. In another bowl mix together the dry ingredients: 60g (2 oz) of plain flour, 2 heaped teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of grated nutmeg, ½ a teaspoon of ground cloves and ¼ of a teaspoon of salt. Add this mixture to the butter mixture along with 400g (14 oz) of ground toasted walnuts and mix well to combine. Now beat the 8 egg whites to stiff peaks. Add a little to the cake mix to loosen it then gently fold in the rest. Transfer the batter to the prepared tin and bake for 45 – 55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. While the cake bakes, make the syrup. Combine 1 cup of sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, 300ml (10 fl oz) of water, 125ml (4¼ fl oz) of honey and the juice and zest of 2 lemons in a small saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain to remove any solids and set aside. When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and, using a skewer, make many fine holes in the cake. Pour on the syrup and leave it to soak through as the cake cools. When the cake is completely cooled, remove it from the tin. Serve with Greek style yoghurt.
michelle picker cooks 