Maple Walnut Cake

This maple walnut layer cake gets its flavor from two sources: real maple syrup in the batter and maple extract in both the cake and frosting. That double hit of maple comes through clearly without being cloying.

Buttermilk is the liquid base here, and it does double duty. The acid reacts with baking soda for a tender crumb, and the tang balances all that sweetness from the syrup and granulated sugar. Alternate the dry and wet ingredients in three additions, and don’t overmix. Cake flour already has less gluten than all-purpose, so rough handling is the only real enemy.

The frosting is worth talking about. It starts as a standard buttercream (a full pound of butter beaten with confectioners’ sugar), but the marshmallow creme folded in at the end transforms it into something billowy and almost cloud-like. It spreads beautifully and holds walnut halves on top without sliding.

Chef Tips

• Beat the butter and sugar a full 5 minutes. Shortcuts here mean a denser cake.
• Let the layers cool completely before frosting. Warm cake melts butter-based frosting instantly.
• Sift the confectioners’ sugar before adding to the frosting. Lumps in marshmallow buttercream are nearly impossible to beat out later.
• Wrap cooled, unfrosted layers tightly in plastic and freeze for up to a month. Frost straight from the freezer for cleaner, crumb-free layers.

Variations

• Pecan swap: Replace walnuts with toasted pecans for a more buttery, Southern-leaning cake.
• Brown butter frosting: Brown 8 oz of the frosting butter until nutty and amber before cooling and beating with the sugar. Adds caramel depth to the maple.