Greek Walnut Cake Recipe (Karidopita)
Ground walnuts and bits of chocolate in every bite! Do you want more it more sweet? Then drench your Greek Walnut Cake (Karidopita) with more syrup --- excellent for dessert or a mid-day snack!
Servings: 10
Calories: 602kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
For Greek walnut cake:
- 225 grams butter (about 1 cup), softened, plus more for greasing
- 225 grams walnuts (2 to 2 &1/4 cups or 8 ounces)
- 120 grams dark chocolate (about 1/2 cup or 4.30 ounces), grated
- 230 grams sugar (1 cup)
- 175 grams flour (1 & 1/2 cups or 6.15 ounces)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground clove
- 6 medium eggs
- powderd sugar (optional), for serving
For the light syrup:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F), grease your cake pan with butter, then set it aside.
Prepare karidopita batter:
- Place the walnuts in a food processor, pulse until you get a finer texture, and set aside.
- Sift and combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder, and ground cloves in a medium-sized bowl.
- In a larger mixing bowl, beat the sugar and softened butter.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in between additions.
- Add the dry ingredients from earlier (flour, spices, etc.) and combine everything.
- Fold the chopped walnuts and grated chocolate into the walnut cake batter.
- Pour batter into the greased cake pan, then use an angled spatula to even the top.
- Place the karidopita pan in the lower part of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
Prepare the light syrup:
- Combine all the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan.
- Mix until the sugar dissolves, place the saucepan on medium heat and bring to a boil.
- Keep boiling for 5 minutes (DO NOT STIR!), remove from the heat, and set aside to cool.
- Once your karidopita has cooled down, pour 4 to 5 tablespoons of the light syrup on it.
- Leave for a few minutes to absorb, then serve your Greek walnut cake!
Notes
- Cook's Tip#1: Do not ground the walnuts too much for karidopita --- it's nice to have some tiny bits of them left on the cake.
- Cook's Tip #2: You can also use a food processor to prepare the chocolates instead of a grater.
- Cook's Tip#3: Using a square or rectangular cake pan for karidopita is not a problem, especially if you intend to cut (and serve) them in squares.
Nutrition
Calories: 602kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 311mg | Potassium: 164mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 710IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 2mg