Nut Cake for Passover

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Nut Cake for Passover

Photo: Natalie Levin

Nut Cake for Passover

Photo: Natalie Levin

To tell you the truth, if I had to choose between a mousse cake and a pound cake as a dessert for Seder night, I would almost certainly choose the pound cake. I like light cakes like pound cakes, without too much cream, and I think it works just as good (if not more) than mousse cakes.

This following nut cake is the perfect dessert for Passover. It’s light, airy, fluffy and delicious. You can make it ahead, with or without the cream topping, and it’s simply the best. This nut cake has such an amazing texture that almost addictive and serving it as a dessert after the holiday feast will please everyone for sure. You can easily make this nut cake nondairy by replacing the cream with coconut cream.

The original recipe comes from the book “Cakes for All Time” by Nira Shoyer, but I made quite a lot adjustments and changes.

Nut Cake for Passover

Photo: Natalie Levin



Nut Cake for Passover

For the cake:

  • 5 large eggs (separated and at room temperature)
  • 200 grams (1 cup) sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 45 ml. (3 tbsp.) amaretto liqueur or brandy
  • 30 ml. (2 tbsp.) vegetable oil
  • 300 grams (3 cups) ground nuts (whichever you prefer)
  • 70 grams (1/2 cup) cornstarch
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. instant ground coffee

For glazing:

  • 125 ml. (1/2 cup) boiling coffee (without milk)

For whipped cream topping (optional):

  • 250 ml. (1 cup) very cold whipping cream (see notes for nondairy version)
  • 20 grams (2 tbsp.) sugar powder
  • 1 tsp. instant coffee powder

For decoration:

  • Pecan halves

Make the cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 170c degrees and grease the pan.
  2. In a mixer bowl, whip egg whites, salt and 100 grams of sugar until you get a stable meringue.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks, 100 grams of sugar, amaretto and oil until combined.
  4. Lower the mixer speed and add the egg yolk mixture in a thin stream while whipping slowly. Continue to mix until combined.
  5. Add in ground nuts, cornstarch, baking powder and coffee and gently fold until you get a uniform and thick batter.
  6. Pour the batter into the pan and straighten the top with a palate knife.
  7. Bake the nut cake for 35-45 minutes or until it is swollen, golden and set to the touch.
  8. Cool completely at room temperature. The cake shrinks a bit in the center while cooling and that’s fine.
  9. Using a skewer, create small holes in the cake and pour the boiling coffee over it. Allow it to be absorbed.

Whipped cream:

  1. In a mixer bowl, whip cream, powdered sugar and instant coffee into a very firm whipped cream.
  2. Transfer the cream into a piping bag fitted with round 2 cm piping tip and drizzle mounds of cream on top of the cake.
  3. Decorate with pecan halves and serve.
  • Nondairy version: make the whipped cream with coconut cream (at least 17% fat, only hardened fatty part) instead of the whipping cream in the same amount.
  • The cake is kept in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
  • You can use any type of nuts that you like and mix between different kinds.
  • It is recommended not to skip the coffee powder because it emphasizes the taste of the nuts.
  • It is also important not to skip the coffee glaze that is poured on the prepared cake, because it gives it a soft, moist and delicate texture.

Nut Cake for Passover

Photo: Natalie Levin