anunrefinedvegan

Lorna over at Tearoom Delights (a woman who knows from cake.  And scones.  And tea.) has had my mouth watering for walnut cake (see a yummy one from her site here).  While I was searching for a chocolate cake recipe, I ran across a clipping from Cooking Light for a frosted walnut cake.  Despite coming from the pages of a “light” cooking magazine, it looked like a big sugar bomb to me, but worth trying.  I modified the cake to lessen the fat and sugar and completely ditched their sugary frosting in favor of what amounts to a nut spread.  Admittedly not exactly fat free, but it’s the good fat, right?

Walnut Cake with Maple Pecan Butter Frosting
Makes a 9″ x 13″ sheet cake, as many or as little slices as you like

Cake:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. powdered stevia
7 tbsp. vegan “butter”
1/4 cup maple sugar
3 tbsp. silken tofu
4 oz. unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup vegan “buttermilk”
3/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Frosting:
2 cups pecans, toasted
6-8 tbsp. almond milk
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. flaxseed meal + 1 1/2 tbsp. water (mix together and let sit for a minute)

Make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly spray a 9″ x 13″ pan with cooking oil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and stevia powder.  Set aside.  In a medium-sized bowl, cream the maple sugar and “butter” until smooth.  Whisk in the silken tofu, vanilla extract, applesauce and the “buttermilk.”  Mixture will look curdled – but of course, it is not – it’s just an illusion.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top is firm, but springy, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack.

Make the frosting:
While the cake is baking, make the frosting.  In a food processor, grind the pecans until finely chopped.  In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and with the food processor running, slowly pour in the liquid mixture.  You will not have a perfectly smooth frosting, but get it as smooth as you can/want.  Taste and adjust sweetness or if it seems too thick, add a little bit more almond milk.

I frosted the cake while it was still warm, but you can wait until the cake has cooled completely if desired.  Cut into slices and serve.