I got this Passover Walnut Cake recipe from my mom decades ago. It has languished in my “Jewish holiday” recipe folder. Written on small yellowing sheets from a hotel that my mom never stayed in (but where she may well have had tea on a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art), the recipe represented for me a memory of Seders past. Each year I have passed it by, barely giving it a second thought as I put together the Seder menu.
Instead, for past Seders, I chose sexier desserts. Deeply chocolaty flourless cake, Passover-friendly carrot cake, and adorable, colorful macaroons have all graced my Passover Seder dessert table in recent years. But not this Passover Walnut Cake. It has not been invited to the Seder table yet.
This year however, is different. Today and every day recently my thoughts have been with my mom. She is 98 years old and bedridden. Not doing well and unable to enjoy Passover herself, I now look at this recipe with the eyes of a daughter who may (probably will) soon lose her mom. I love this photo of my mom with her grandaughter, Eleanor. Both smiling, they remind me of how lively and loving my mom could be.
And so I make it with a mixture of pleasure and sadness, joy (to be keeping her tradition alive) and melancholy (at the thought of her condition and Passover Seders without her). Every year I make my Grandmother’s Passover rolls and now I make this Passover Walnut Cake too, in honor of my mom.
Tips for Making Passover Walnut Cake
- The eggs. Separating eggs is a chore, but it can be meditative. To avoid ruining the egg whites, which must remain pristine, without any yolk, separate each egg white first into a small bowl or pitcher before moving it to the larger container with the already-separated whites. If an egg white gets some yolk in it, put it aside and get a clean container. (Don’t throw it out – use that egg white in an omelet or other egg dish, one that doesn’t require whipping the whites.)
- Egg whites. Beating 10 egg whites is not complicated. But it does require a bit of planning. If you’re new to whipping egg whites or need a refresher, check out these tips. In summary, try to use older eggs (a tip I learned from Domenica Marchetti) and get them to room temperature before beating them. Use a stand mixer if you have one, start at a low speed, and be patient. Like making meringues, this cake requires egg whites that form peaks. I often use a bit of cream of tartar or lemon juice to help stabilize the egg whites, optional but highly recommended.
- Ground walnuts. A food processor is key to getting the walnuts ground finely enough for this cake. It is possible to grind them without a food processor (or at least the internet is filled with alternative suggestions) but I;d go with a food processor if you can.
Why is this cake called low-fat?
This cake is low-fat because it does not contain any fat (e.g. butter, margarine, or oil) other than that found in the other ingredients.
Changes to the my mom’s 20th century recipe
I’ve made some changes in this recipe. First of all, I grease the pan. Although my mom’s recipe says the pan is ungreased, when I tried it that way, the result was a disaster. I eventually got the cake out of the pan, but it was quite a mess.
Second, I upped the chocolate and decreased the amount of ground walnuts. The original proportions yield a cake that is too dry and not chocolaty enough for my taste.
Third, I went with matzo cake meal instead of matzo meal and prefer superfine or caster sugar to granulated. These changes make the cake a bit less grainy – an improvement to my mind.
Passover Walnut Cake
This easy Passover-friendly walnut cake has a hint of chocolate, but it's really about the nuts. Best served with fruit or a cup of tea or coffee, it has a delicate taste and texture. The cake is also low-fat – without butter, margarine, or oil
Ingredients
- 4 ounces walnuts, finely ground 114 g/about 1 cup gently pressed down
- 1/2 cup + 3 teaspoons matzo cake meal 2 & 3/4 oz/78 g
- 4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa Either natural or Dutch processed will work in this recipe. I used natural.
- 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, grated 172 g/ about 1 & 1/2 cups
- 10 large eggs, separated See notes for tips on separating and whipping egg whites
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 & 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar or lemon juice optional but recommended to help with whipping
- 1 cup superfine sugar see note about superfine sugar
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400° F/200° C. Grease a 8 & 1/2 – 9 inch/ 23 x 8 cm tube pan.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the ground walnuts, matzo cake meal, unsweetened cocoa, and grated chocolate. Set aside.
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Beat the egg whites with the salt, slowly, until peaks form. Then add the yolks one at a time, while continuing to beat on low. Still continuing to beat on low, add the combined matzo cake meal, cocoa, and grated chocolate. Do not overbeat. At the end, you may need to fold the batter a few times with a spatula to make sure the ingredients are well distributed.
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Pour the batter into the tube pan. Level it off. If there is batter remaining (and there may be), make it into muffins. If you're concerned about overflow (as I was), put a baking sheet under the pan. Bake the cake and any muffins for 8-10 minutes at 400° F/200° C, then lower the temperature to 375° F/190° C and continue to bake the cake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean. (Muffins take only about 20 minutes to bake.) If you notice the top of the cake starting to get dark brown, cover it with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
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Once the cake is done, remove it from the oven and invert the pan to cool on a wire rack for at least 15-20 minutes before unmolding. Run a knife around the inside and outside edges of the tube pan. Unmold the cake while it is still warm.
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Optional – Dust with confectioners/powdered sugar or dribble some melted chocolate or powdered sugar icing on top before serving.
Recipe Notes
If you look carefully at the handwritten recipe, you’ll see that my directions and the order of the ingredients are different in this version and I’ve changed a few of the proportions. I intend the taste to be similar to my memory of my mom’s version.
The eggs. To avoid ruining the egg whites, which must remain pristine, without any yolk, separate each egg white first into a small bowl or pitcher before moving it to the larger container with the already-separated whites. If an egg white gets some yolk in it, put it aside and get a clean container.
Egg whites. If you’re new to whipping egg whites or need a refresher, check out these tips. Try to use older eggs (a tip I learned from Domenica Marchetti) and get them to room temperature before beating them. Using an electric beater helps, though you can do it with a whisk and a lot of elbow grease. If you’re using a beater, start at a low speed and be patient. Like making meringues, this cake requires egg whites that form peaks. I often use cream of tartar or lemon juice to help stabilize the egg whites, but that is optional.
Jeanie Barnard says
What a lovely tribute to your mom. You have changed the cake to fit your preferences but kept the essence. Best to all, JB