SuperEasy Chocolate and Walnut Cake

Name: SuperEasy Chocolate and Walnut Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 7 oz dessert chocolate strong in cocoa (70%); 7 oz butter; 5 oz caster (superfine) sugar; 4 eggs; 3 oz self-raising flour (self-rising); 4 - 8 oz crushed walnuts; 4 oz dessert chocolate strong in cocoa (70%); ¼ pint thick double cream (heavy cream)

Ready in 40 mins

Recipe by Marie-Danielle

SuperEasy Chocolate and Walnut Cake is a really simple and effective way to produce a tasty cake for dessert, or just to accompany your afternoon cuppa. Since some of my family live in South-West France, where walnuts are plentiful, I can't wait for the new season when I can collect fresh nuts and 'peel' them... they are so succulent. Eating really fresh walnuts straight off the tree is a true pleasure that not many people are able to experience.

If you are already feeling guilty about the chocolate and cream content of this SuperEasy Chocolate and Walnut Cake, a study has suggested that walnut consumption may improve the use of body fat, so go ahead and enjoy... in moderation! (Walnuts can be replaced by pecan nuts - a particularly useful fact if you find pecans easier to obtain than walnuts!)

Preparation Time

15 Minutes

Cooking Time

25 Minutes

Ingredients for SuperEasy Chocolate and Walnut Cake

If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.

Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

FOR THE CAKE
7 oz dessert chocolate strong in cocoa (70%)
7 oz butter
5 oz caster (superfine) sugar
4 eggs
3 oz self-raising flour (self-rising)
4 - 8 oz crushed walnuts
FOR THE ICING
4 oz dessert chocolate strong in cocoa (70%)
¼ pint thick double cream (heavy cream)

How to Cook SuperEasy Chocolate and Walnut Cake

Place the chocolate and the butter in a glass dish and heat in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes (stirring frequently) until melted. Add the sugar, eggs, flour and walnuts. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased cake tin and bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (Mk 6 - 400ÂºF - 200ÂºC) for 25 minutes. Turn out and allow to cool.
As you can see from the main photo above, icing is optional since you can "dust" the cake with icing sugar (a.k.a powdered or confectioners' sugar). If you want to make chocolate "icing" (like the picture on the right), place the chocolate and the thick double cream (heavy cream) in a glass dish and heat in the microwave for about 30-40 seconds (stirring two or three times) until melted. Spread this over on the cake then put it in a cool place for 1 hour to allow the 'icing' to set. Decorate with walnut halves and serve with cream, custard, vanilla ice cream or whipped cream... or simply on its own with a nice cup of tea!

MARIE-DANIELLE'S HOT TIP:
One of the 'additions' I sometimes make is to split the cake in half and fill it with a mixture of apricot conserve and tiny pieces of dried apricot. It adds another dimension and ensures that the cake isn't too 'dry' to the taste.