Traditional walnut tree with pecans.

Traditional walnut tree with pecans.

Walnut strudel (or walnut strudel) is certainly one of the most traditional cakes ever. It is made from a simple yeast dough and a walnut filling. The latter is usually made from ground walnuts and sugar. 

The nut cake I'm presenting to you today is a little different and its taste is more complex. Unlike most nut cakes, it is filled with pecans, apple, ground cinnamon and nutmeg. And it tastes best served with whipped cream. Yummy :)

If you're wondering why I swapped walnuts for pecans, the answer is pretty simple. Walnuts are naturally bitter, and if you want your filling to taste like that, you're going to need a lot of sugar. If you look at the ratio of sugar to ground nuts in classic nutcrackers, it's usually 1:1.

Pecans are quite sweet, unlike walnuts. That's why you'll need less sugar in this filling. The ratio in my filling is about 9:1, which makes it one of the best and healthiest fillings you can use :)

 And how to prepare this nutmeg at home?

Traditional walnut cake with pecans. – recipe

What will you need?

Sourdough:

• 1/4 cup (60ml) lukewarm whole milk
• ¾ cup (180ml) cold whole milk
• 14g instant yeast (2 packets)
• 2 eggs
• 120g butter
• ½ cup (70g) granulated sugar
• 500g flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda

Walnut filling:

• 500g pecans (ground, chopped with a knife or broken with a rolling pin)
• 1 egg white and 1 whole egg
• 1 apple
• ½ cup (70g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• a pinch of ground nutmeg
• 4 tablespoons melted butter

How to proceed?

Sourdough:

1. Add the yeast and a pinch of sugar to the lukewarm milk. Mix well and let stand for about 5 minutes or until foam forms on top.
2. Meanwhile, break 2 whole eggs into a bowl, add ¼ cup sugar and beat for about 5 minutes. Now add the butter and mix well.
3. Add the sifted flour, salt, baking soda, cold milk, and activated yeast to a bowl. Mix until a stiff dough forms.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead by hand for about 5-10 minutes.
5. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and set aside in a warm place. The sourdough will be ready when it has doubled in size.
6. Place the risen dough on a board and press the air out of it with your fist.
7. Roll it out to 1cm thickness and brush with melted butter.

 Walnut filling:

1. In a larger bowl, beat 1 egg white, and gradually add the ground pecans, sugar, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg.
2. Spread the nut filling evenly over the dough and slowly roll it up.
3. In a small bowl, mix 1 whole egg and brush the entire walnut tree with it.
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 165°C for approximately 25-35 minutes.
5. If you want the walnut cake to taste even better, serve it with whipped cream.
6. Enjoy your meal.