Walnut Brandy Cake

Adapted from “Walnut Brandy Cake” by Gayle Gonzales on :pastry studio.

Serves 8 to 10

This cake is a favorite of mine. Rather plain—but not like Plain Jane. More like your favorite jeans: they fit perfectly and are comfortably broken in. It’s great to have hanging around the kitchen, but it won’t be there long.

6 ounces/168 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup/200 g sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
¼ cup milk, at room temperature
3 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups/213 g unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts, almonds, pecans, or hazelnuts

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Oil an 8½ x 4¼-inch loaf pan, or a one-pound loaf pan. Cut a piece of parchment paper large enough to line the bottom lengthwise with a bit of overhang.

Toast the nuts until they are lightly browned and smell fragrant. I usually stir them at about the 5-minute mark. Let cool, then chop coarsely.

Cream the butter, then gradually add the sugar and beat in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next.

In a small bowl or cup, combine the milk, brandy, and vanilla.

In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Sift the mixture onto a piece of aluminum foil.

Add a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, followed by half of the milk mixture. Beat to combine. Add another third of the flour, the remaining milk mixture, and beat again. Add the last third of the flour and beat just until incorporated. Then switch to a spatula and fold in the nuts by hand.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack. After about 30 minutes, remove it from the pan, peel off the parchment, and let cool completely.

Note: The four blogs I followed faithfully when they were active were The Wednesday Chef, Orangette, Rachel Eats, and :pastry studio. The writing at :pastry studio is sensual; the photos are beautiful; and the recipes are spare, elegant, and they work.

Gayle Gonzales, the author of :pastry studio, once described her work this way: “I favor outlaw pastry—simple, fresh, custom, minimally sweet handmade objects of desire formed in an open space where nothing comes between the art and the practice.”

She also wrote a beautiful e-cookbook, The Global Pastry Table, available on Kindle, Apple Books, and other eBook platforms.