Dark Chocolate Walnut Cake

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

This Dark Chocolate Walnut Cake has a sophisticated European vibe with ground walnuts and dark chocolate, it's moist, not too sweet, and super delicious!

Ingredients

• cake
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chopped)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
• ½ cup packed golden brown sugar
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ¾ cup ground walnuts (measure them after grinding, not before)
• icing
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chopped)
• ½ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• a few Tablespoons buttermilk (as needed)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ground walnuts for garnish

Method

1. Set oven to 350F
2. Butter and flour a 9-inch spring form pan.
3. Melt the chocolate on the defrost setting, or 50% power of your microwave. (Or over a bowl of simmering water)
4. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda into a small bowl along with the ground walnuts.
5. Cream the butter using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer.
6. Add both sugars and beat until fluffy.
7. Beat in eggs 1 at a time.
8. Beat in vanilla, then melted chocolate.
9. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions each, beating just until blended after each addition.
10. Spread the batter into the pan and bake until a tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack.
11. For the icing, melt the chocolate as above and set aside. In a large bowl cream the butter and add in the sugar and cocoa powder, beating until smooth. Beat in 2 tablespoons of buttermilk and the vanilla. Beat in the melted chocolate. Thin with buttermilk if it's too stiff to spread nicely. This makes enough frosting to cover the cake with a thick layer, but I like it just on top.

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island