This fool-proof recipe for a Walnut Bundt Cake is filled with walnuts and baked until perfection! With simple pantry ingredients that almost every household has and step-by-step instructions, this is a traditional European yeasted bundt cake.
This walnut bundt cake is a perfect accompaniment to afternoon coffee or tea. Also, it’s not super sweet.
If you’re searching for additional cake recipes this summer, we suggest trying out the summer raspberry cake or the butterscotch rum cake. Both alternatives will leave a lasting impression and fulfill your craving for something sweet.
If you enjoy walnut-based desserts, try these delectable walnut cookies or the scrumptious walnut strudel. They are guaranteed to delight your taste buds and satisfy your sweet cravings!
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Ingredients
For precise measurements, please look at the recipe card.
- All-Purpose flour: Flour is the base of this recipe.
- Salt: Adds flavor.
- Granulated sugar: White granulated sugar sweetens the cake.
- Eggs: Use three room-temperature eggs.
- Unsalted butter: Adds buttery flavor and acts as a binding material for all dry ingredients.
- Cocoa powder: Adds flavor and beautiful color to the cake.
- Walnuts: Add flavor and a little bit of crunch. To learn more, read about walnuts’ health benefits and nutrition.
- Active dry yeast: An essential ingredient for lifting the cake.
- Warm milk: Milk will help to “activate” the yeast.
How to Make Walnut Bundt Cake
Step 1: In a small cup with warm milk, add active dry yeast, a little bit of all-purpose flour, and a little granulated sugar. Mix the ingredients and set the cup aside for 5-10 minutes. This step is crucial because if the yeast is bad or it did not “activate,” the cake won’t rise.
Step 2: In a mixer bowl, add flour, sugar, eggs, melted butter, and salt. Then add the mixture of warm milk with yeast to a mixing bowl. Start mixing all ingredients at the lowest speed. After a minute, increase the speed slightly.
After all the ingredients are well combined, set aside for 30 minutes. The batter will be very thick.
Step 3: Coat the entire inside of the pan with a thin but even layer of butter. Ensure that every piece is covered so that the batter won’t stick. Then, add a few spoons of flour into the pan, tilt, and turn until all the butter is covered with flour.
Step 4: Cut the walnuts into smaller pieces.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 390 Fahrenheit.
Step 6: Divide the batter in half. Add 2 tbsps of cocoa powder and fold with a spatula until well combined.
Step 7: Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and check the cake with a wooden skewer. It will probably be too soft (still unbaked on the inside). Bake for another 5-10 minutes at 370 Fahrenheit.
Step 8: Remove the cake from the oven and leave it on a wire rack for 15 minutes. To ensure that the cake will not stick to the pan edges, use a butter knife to loosen the edges, but make sure that you don’t scrape the pan.
Take a plate and, put it on the top of the pan, reverse the cake on the plate. I usually transfer the cake to the wire rack.
Step 9: I wanted to keep it simple with this cake and sprinkled the powdered sugar on top.
I LOOOVE how this bundt cake turned out! This perfect round shape looks so pretty, and the cake tastes delicious. Enjoy!
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Activate the yeast: This is a crucial step. If you don’t activate the yeast or have too old yeast, the cake won’t rise. Follow my fool-proof step-by-step process for activating the yeast, and you will succeed every time.
- Grease the bundt pan: This is also an important step. Make sure to grease the bundt pan evenly. This will help with the easier removal of the cake from the pan.
Storage
Cut the cake into smaller pieces, store it in an air-tight container, and leave it on a counter at room temperature for two days.
More Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
- Mini Bundt Cakes
- Butterscotch Rum Cake
- Walnut Strudel
- Blackberry Lemon Bread
- Summer Raspberry Cake
- The Best Homemade Apple Pie
- Lemon Meringue Slice – Sampita
- Gurabije – Lard Cookies
- Walnut Cookies – Sape Recipe
- Vanillekipferl – Vanilla Crescent Cookies
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Recipe
Walnut Bundt Cake – Traditional Balkan Yeast Recipe
Equipment
- stand mixer (or hand-held mixer with a medium-size bowl)
- spatula
- bundt cake pan
- wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- 18 tablespoon unsalted butter (plus more for coating the bundt pan)
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 9 tablespoon warm milk
- 1 ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
Instructions
- Activate the yeast: In a small cup, combine warm milk, active dry yeast, a spoonful of flour, and a pinch of sugar. Stir to combine, then let it sit for 5–10 minutes until it becomes foamy.9 tablespoon warm milk1 ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
- Mix the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the remaining flour, sugar, eggs, melted butter, and salt. Pour in the activated yeast mixture. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, then slightly increase the speed and mix until smooth. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.4 cups all-purpose flour¾ cup granulated sugar3 large eggs18 tablespoon unsalted butter½ teaspoon salt
- Prepare cocoa batter: Divide the batter in half. To one half, add cocoa powder and stir until fully combined.2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- Preheat and prepare pan: Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Generously grease a bundt pan with butter, then dust it with flour, tilting to coat all sides evenly. Shake off any excess flour before pouring in the batter.
- Layer the batter: Pour the plain batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly across the bottom. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top. Then, add the cocoa batter and smooth it out evenly.½ cup chopped walnuts
- Bake: Bake for 40 minutes. Test with a wooden skewer; if the center remains too soft, lower the temperature to 370°F (190°C) and bake for an additional 5–10 minutes.
- Cool and finish: Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully turn the bundt cake out of the pan, then let it cool for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
- Use room-temperature ingredients for a smoother batter and better rise.
- Shake off excess flour from the bundt pan to avoid a thick coating on the cake.
- Start checking for doneness at 40 minutes; bake longer only if needed.
- Let the cake cool before slicing to keep it moist and tender.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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