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Eierlikör Walnut Cake Recipe

Excerpted from ‘Süss: Sweet German Treats for Every Occasion’ by Audrey Leonard


spinner image cake with dark filling and fluffy white topping
Audrey Leonard

Servings: 8 to 12

Active Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 6 hours

Eierlikör is a German liqueur often served around the holidays that is made from egg yolks, powdered sugar, heavy cream and rum. This cake came to me after I was recently in a museum in Germany and in the café, there was a hazelnut Eierlikör cake. I loved the idea of mixing such a strong liqueur with toasted nuts to create a wintertime cake.Since Eierlikör is traditionally consumed around Christmas time, I wanted the other flavors in the cake to mimic that. There is warm cinnamon in the walnut cake, along with a layer of plum butter that is made from the end of summer plums and Eierlikör and nutmeg in the whipped cream. This cake packs a punch of flavor for how simple it is!

 

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups + 1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 6 eggs, room temperature
  • ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1¾ cups + 2 tablespoons walnuts, finely ground
  • ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1¼ cups heavy cream, cold
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon plum butter
  • 4 tbsp Eierlikör, plus more for drizzling (recipe included)

For the Eierlikör

  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup rum (brown or clear)

 

Directions

spinner image book cover with words süss sweet german treats for every occasion; audrey leonard
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a rack in the center of the oven. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add in the eggs, butter and vanilla. Use the paddle attachment to mix the batter starting on low and quickly increasing the speed to high. Mix for 2 minutes, until the batter is light and fluffy.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and pour in all of the walnuts. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the nuts.

Line a 9-inch springform pan (a 9-inch metal cake pan will work too) with a baking spray that includes flour — just be sure to not overspray it or let much come up the sides of the pan. Alternatively, you can lightly grease the base with butter and then lay a circle of parchment paper on top.

Pour the cake batter into the pan and place the cake in the preheated oven. Set the timer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes have passed, rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes, until it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes.

Run a knife along the edge between the cake and the pan to make sure that it didn’t stick anywhere and then release the springform. Leave the cake to cool fully to room temperature and store in the refrigerator until it is cold and you are ready to assemble the cake.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour in the cold heavy cream, nutmeg and powdered sugar. Use the whisk attachment to whisk the mixture on low until the powdered sugar is mixed in and then turn the speed to medium-high. Whisk until soft peaks form and then pour in the Eierlikör. Whisk on high until stiff peaks form. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and move on to assembling the cake.

For the Eierlikör, in the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the egg yolks, vanilla and powdered sugar. Use the whisk attachment to whisk on high for 10 minutes (start on low). This may seem like overkill but you will notice the difference later on.

Turn the mixer down to medium-low and stream in the heavy cream down the side of the bowl. Whisk again on high until lines appear. Turn down the mixer again and stream in the rum. Return the mixer to high and mix again for another 3 minutes.

Using a long serrated knife, cut the cooled cake in half into two layers. Spread the plum butter onto the bottom layer. If it is cold and stiff, briefly heat it up in the microwave. Lay the top layer of cake on top of the jam.

Take the whipped cream out of the refrigerator and use a large spoon to dollop the whipped cream onto the center of the cake. Use the back of the spoon to spread the whipped cream within a ½ inch of the edge of the cake. Optionally, drizzle more Eierlikör over the top of the whipped cream. The whipped cream will be soft if served immediately but it will stiffen slightly if it sits in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Notes: To make an alcohol-free version, simply eliminate the Eierlikör from the whipped cream and the drizzle. And If you can’t get your hands on plum butter, also known as powidl, pflaumenmus, or plum jam, you can substitute it with a tart cherry jam.

 

Try More Holiday Dessert Recipes

Chocolate-Dipped Espresso Stars from Zingerman’s Bakehouse Celebrate Every Day: A Year's Worth of Favorite Recipes for Festive Occasions, Big and Small by Amy Emberling, Lindsay-Jean Hard, Lee Vedder and Corynn Coscia

Baked Apples With Oat Crumble from Fraiche Food, Fuller Hearts: Wholesome Everyday Recipes Made with Love by Jillian Harris and Tori Wesszer

Midnight Kiss Cookie Bites from Brilliant Bites: 75 Amazing Small Bites for Any Occasion by Maegan Brown

Creamy Dreamy Cheesecake Pie from Bake Your Heart Out: Foolproof Recipes to Level Up Your Home Baking by Dan Langan

Main Holiday Desserts Article

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