Greek Walnut Cake

This wonderful moist Walnut Cake or Karydopi as it is better known in Greece. Always full of walnuts and traditionally soaked in light honey flavoured syrup. Traditionally served with a Greek coffee but I like it with thick yoghurt and pomegranates. A taste of the Mediterranean on a plate.

20 minutes

1 hour + 15 minutes

140°C

Ingredients

Walnut cake
2 cups caster sugar
3 cups plain flour

- sieved
6 eggs

- separated
1 cup fine semolina
2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups walnuts

- finely chopped
2 flat dessertspoons baking soda
2 flat dessertspoons baking powder
½ cup apple juice
1 cup milk
1 dessertspoon ground clove powder
1 dessertspoon cinnamon powder
Syrup
4 tbsp granulated sugar
1 cup runny honey
3 glasses of cold water
Rind of one lemon

- grated

Instructions

Cake:
01 Beat egg yolks with the sugar and dissolve baking soda in apple juice.
02 In a separate bowl beat egg whites until firm.
03 Combine all ingredients with the egg yolk/sugar mixture – omitting the syrup ingredients. Beat well with a wooden spoon and lastly fold in the stiff egg whites.
04 Pour into a prepared baking tin (buttered and lined with non-stick baking paper). Bake in a moderate oven approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until firm to the touch. Allow to cool in the tin.
Syrup:
05 Boil water, sugar, honey and lemon rind in a medium sized pan until the syrup sets (approx 5 minutes). Pour over cake and leave to cool.
06 Serve with cream or yoghurt scattered with fresh pomegranate and toasted walnuts.

Notes

It may be necessary to remove the sugar scum from the top of the syrup during boiling. Please note, this recipe makes one large cake or two small 18cm cakes. Freezes well.