Black Walnut Coconut Cake | Memories of Dad
Dad was special in a lot of ways. It’s no secret that he and I had a close relationship. I spent most of my childhood by his elbow in the kitchen of the house on Linden. I make no excuses or apologies for being a ‘weird’ kid. Even then I was happiest near the oven and close to flour and sugar. My passion for baking developed during those years, and I treasure the time spent basking in Dad’s undivided attention.
Dad had the great patience needed for baking. It offered him an escape from the daily grind of life that often wore him down. It might sound strange but he also found relaxation in the arduous task of cracking raw nuts for his cakes and caramels. He spent hours with a hammer, a pick, and a beer at his side, and patiently cracked and extracted the fresh nut meats from their shells. Of the variety of nuts he engaged with in this wrestling match, black walnuts put up the toughest fight. Notorious for their rock hard outer shell, some take to running over black walnuts with a car to break away their outer shell. Dad had none of that, instead, he spent hours doing it all by hand.
No other nut compares to the black walnut in flavor. Its robust earthiness livens up ice cream, cakes, pies and candy in a way no other can. Dad developed quite a reputation for the caramels he made every Christmas. The secret? Black Walnuts!
My sister Becky continued the yearly tradition of his caramels when Dad no longer could. Our family is so happy she did. Each year she presents a little bag of paper-wrapped Black Walnut Caramels to each of us. So sweet and thoughtful, but that’s Becky. The photo of me in the checked apron… well that was my Christmas gift from her. She made it from an old flannel shirt that had belonged to Dad. Her words that accompanied the apron were endearing and validating.
I snatched a couple bags of black walnuts when I was home at Christmas and brought them back in my luggage. I knew their intended use. I’ve held onto this recipe for ten years and finally got around to making it. It won a medal at the Missouri State Fair, a credential that made promise of a very special cake. Dad would have loved it!
(The tea bag in the photo was homemade by my niece Coco. I’m surrounded by sweet and thoughtful family.)
Black Walnut Coconut Cake
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs, separated, whites at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1 1/2 cups chopped black walnuts, plus more for decorating the cake
3 ounces sweetened flaked coconut, plus more for decorating the cake
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and shortening until well combined. Gradually add the sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat well.
Combine the baking soda and buttermilk in a small bowl or glass measuring cup; stir until the soda is dissolved. Whisk together the flour and salt. Add the flour to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
Add the vanilla extract, black walnuts, and coconut, and stir to combine.
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar together until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter. Fold in remaining egg whites.
Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the cakes comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then remove from pans and finish cooling. Frost cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Decorate with additional black walnuts and coconut.
Cream Cheese Frosting
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
5 1/2 – 5 3/4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 – 3 tablespoons whipping cream
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter until thoroughly combined. Add the confectioners sugar, one cup at a time, mixing thoroughly and scraping the side of the bowl after each addition. Add the salt, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add whipping cream to reach spreading consistency if necessary.
What a magnificent post! I am longing for a bag of black walnuts and a photo of your dad. But I’d be very, very happy with a slice of the Black Walnut Coconut Cake!
Thanks for your kind comment Deb. Somewhere buried deep in my blog posts, there is a photo of my Dad, in an apron no less. 🙂
What a sweet and beautiful story/blog
Cant wait to try recipe
xoxo
Bec is so great – that is a wonderful apron. So tickled that you made yourself a cup of chai. Was it good? The cake looks amazing – it will be our next celebration cake.! I can’t wait to make it. I am about to go online and look for cracked black walnuts!
Sher, the tea was delicious. Homemade is the best! And I would love the recipe she used. Also, here is a link to where you can find black walnuts. http://www.black-walnuts.com/ XX
All I have to say is “I hope there’s a piece of this cake in your freezer for my upcoming visit” Beautiful post sister!
Believe it or not, I did stick a quarter of this cake in the freezer, soooooo, hurry up and get here!
Oh my goodness !!! Just when I thought you’ve out done yourself ! This just could be the special cake for someone’s big birthday coming up. Love the apron, what a beautiful idea.
Thanks Bren! XX It would definitely put a smile on the face of someone celebrating a special occasion. And if black walnuts aren’t available or not preferred, just substitute their favorite nut.
What an interesting recipe! Must be delicious considering the ingredients and its richness! Thank you for sharing!
Nice to find your blog, gonna make my way through your recipe index and all the goodies you’ve shared here.
Oana, thank you for your kind words regarding my blog. Your work is just beautiful and I feel inspired by the few recipes I have read so far. I am excited to follow along with you on your pastry baking journey. I’ll be following along on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest as well!
Your family sounds incredibly thoughtful and caring, I just love it. It’s funny baking can relieve stress and help you relax. My dad has been addicted to baking bread and even though he’s tired from work everyday, he still kneads the dough by hand!
I love the cake and the wonderful thoughts behind it. What a coincidence that my own dad loves walnuts and coconut, too.
Lovely post and lovely cake…it looks so delicious, all that sweet coconut 🙂
I want to thank you for such a beautiful recipe! I made it 2 days ago to serve to my small group of gals as we end our gatherings until the fall. I’m brewing a cup of coffee to enjoy another piece before I pack it off to my daughter’s boyfriends house, which has 4 hungry young men at it! It’s so good and will be added to my recipe book. I have never used shortening in my cake recipes. Is there a reason behind using half butter/half shortening vs. all butter?
Thanks again!
Sandy, I’m so happy you enjoyed the cake. It’s nice to know a fellow black walnut lover. As for shortening versus butter, shortening provided a tender crumb and a slightly higher rise. All butter can be used in this recipe. The finished height might be slightly effected and the crumb might be a little less tender. Neither would be very noticeable. And of course using all butter would lend even more buttery flavor to the cake.
This the first cake I have every made from scratch and I had a ball. It is for Thanksgiving Dinner TONIGHT!!! The black walnuts come from Hanover, Indiana right on the Ohio River north of Louisville, KY. They were hand shelled by my foster mother Louise. The cake is stunning. One hint. I did not use nearly the amount of sugar for the icing…only two!
For sure the best cake I’ve ever made ,Was a great hit for Christmas every one loved it .So thank you for the recipe ,
Warms my heart to hear that Florence! Wishing you all good things in the coming year – including more delicious cakes 🙂