Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love.
This recipe for Hungarian Layered Walnut Cake came from my podcast guest, Lynn Weisz. Make sure you listen to her episode The Best Mother-In-Law and Her Hungarian Walnut Torte while you make this Hungarian Walnut Cake with a Mocha and Espresso Icing!
This is truly a perfect cake in my book, balancing richness and sturdiness from the finely ground walnuts with lightness from whipped egg whites - a classic European technique. Two flavors of icing, coffee and mocha, are equally butter-forward, silky, and almost custard-y. As Lynn says, this isn't an overly sweet cake; it's elegant, nuanced, and best shared slowly over conversation and a strong cup of coffee.
Looking for simpler cake recipes? Check out this Chocolate Brownie Cake (without Cocoa Powder) recipe or this Pineapple Coconut Cake recipe.
Lynn's Memories of Making Recipe
This cake isn't just a recipe card - it's a memory chain. After miraculously discovering over 50 of Maria's recipes neatly typed in Hungarian, this one stopped me in my tracks. It wasn't typed. It wasn't even in Hungarian. It was handwritten in English - not by Maria herself, but by my husband's mother, Janice, who had copied it down from her mother-in-law. The two of them were the best of friends. Janice never considered herself a baker, which makes it all the more touching that she preserved this cake in her own handwriting. I like to picture the two of them sitting together at the kitchen table, sharing a slice with coffee and passing stories along with each bite. Now I feel lucky to be the next daughter-in-law in that circle, carrying the recipe forward - and adding my own small twist.
-Lynn Weisz, guest of The Storied Podcast
Top Tips
Lynn suggests several tips when making your cake:
- Use a food processor to grind your walnuts into a fine and dusty powder instead of an oily one. Using the pulse feature also prevents the nuts from becoming a paste.
- You can use any size pans to make this recipe. If you use 8-inch pans (or smaller) make sure to begin checking the cakes around 20 minutes to ensure the cakes don't burn.
- For thicker layers of icing OR for larger pans (9") OR to frost the outside, increase the frosting by half while keeping all proportions the same. I did all 3 of these things, so my images reflect about 1 and ½ recipes of icing.
- Lynn suggests using a piping bag around the perimeter of your layers so the icing shows from the outside.
- Lynn likes to leave the outside of her cake entirely "naked".
Ingredients
Cake
- Wet Ingredients: Egg yolks, egg whites, brewed black coffee, vanilla extract
- Dry ingredients: Sugar, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, espresso powder, walnuts
Buttercream
- Wet Ingredients: Unsalted butter, vanilla extract, milk or cream
- Dry Ingredients: Powdered sugar, espresso powder, salt, bittersweet chocolate
Instructions
Make the Batter
- Preheat the oven and prepare round cake pans.
- Beat egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy.
- In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder. Alternate adding dry ingredients and brewed coffee to the yolk mixture, mixing until smooth. Stir in walnuts and vanilla.
- Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold into batter.
- Divide between pans and bake then cool completely.
Make the Frosting
- Beat butter until fluffy, then gradually mix in powdered sugar. Add vanilla, dissolved espresso, and salt for espresso buttercream.
- Set aside part of it and stir in melted chocolate to make mocha frosting, adding milk or cream if needed.
Assemble the Torte
- Layer cakes with espresso buttercream between each layer, then spread mocha frosting on top. Leave sides unfrosted and top with sugared walnuts, if desired.
The Difference Between a Cake and a Torte?
Lynn's original family recipe refers to this a Walnut Torte, which made me curious about how a torte differs from a cake. Here are three easy ways how to distinguish a cake from a torte. Please note that this is just one way to determine the difference, not the only way.
- Ingredients: Typically, torts are made with denser flours, such as ground nuts, and not wheat flour that cakes are usually made with. Because of this, the cakes are typically more dense and are gluten-free, though not always.
- Height: Due to the main ingredient being a nut flour or some other similar ingredient, tortes either rise very little or not all when you bake them. You won't be getting the typical height that you get in a flour cake because your cakes with be denser and shorter.
- Decoration: The decoration of tortes are generally very minimal. They can be sprinkled with icing sugar, have a glaze, decorated with nuts, or a light layer of frosting, whereas cakes are usually more heavily decorative.
So is this a torte? I would say yes and no. Lynn and I talked at length about how she has modernized her original family recipe, so make sure to listen to our discussion in her episode!
source: Martha Stewart
Equipment
- Two 8" or 9" round cake pans (preferably non-stick or well-greased)
- Electric hand mixer OR stand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Metal whisk
- Spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Fine knife or offset spatula
- Small bowl
- Saucepan OR skillet (optional)
- Parchment paper
- Cooling racks
- Food processor (optional)
- Small microwave-safe bowl OR double boiler (to melt chocolate for mocha frosting)
Storage
- Make Ahead: You can bake the cake layers up to 2 days in advance. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature or refrigerate.
- Buttercream: The espresso buttercream can be made up to a week ahead and stored in the fridge. Let it soften and re-whip before using.
- Candied Walnuts: Can be made a few days ahead and stored in an airtight container.
- Freezing: The cake layers freeze well (up to 3 months). Cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and store in a freezer bag or container. Thaw at room temp before frosting.
- Assembled Cake: Best enjoyed within 1-2 days once frosted. Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container.
More Eastern European Recipes
More Cake Recipes
Listen to Lynn's Episode
PrintRecipe
Hungarian Walnut Cake with Mocha and Espresso Icing
- Total Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 slices 1x
Description
Rich layers of Hungarian Walnut Torte are paired with espresso and mocha buttercream for a decadent dessert perfect for the holidays or any special occasion.
Ingredients
Cake
- 6 large egg yolks (room temperature)
- 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons (12 grams) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 cup (240 ml) cool brewed black coffee
- 1 cup (100 grams) walnuts, very finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 6 large egg whites, whipped to stiff peaks
Espresso & Mocha Buttercreams (for filling and top)
- *See Note 1
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 ½ cups (320 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 oz (30 grams) bittersweet chocolate (60%), melted and cooled
- 1-2 teaspoons milk or cream (optional, for adjusting frosting texture)
Instructions
Cue up the Episode!
Make sure you listen to Lynn's episode of The Storied Recipe Podcast, "The Best Mother-In-Law and Her Hungarian Walnut Torte" while you make her amazing Hungarian Walnut Cake.
Make the Recipe
Make the Batter
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Grease two 8" or 9" round cake pans and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and granulated sugar until creamy and pale (about 3-5 minutes).
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and espresso powder.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the egg yolk mixture in two additions, alternating with the brewed coffee, stirring until smooth.
- Stir in the finely chopped walnuts and vanilla extract.
- In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter in three additions, being careful not to deflate the mixture.
Bake the Cakes
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans before removing.
Make the Espresso Buttercream
- In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating well between each addition.
- Stir in the vanilla extract, dissolved espresso powder, and salt. Beat until smooth and airy.
Make the Mocha Frosting
- Set aside 1 ¾ to 2 cups of the espresso buttercream.
- Stir the melted and cooled bittersweet chocolate into this portion.
- If needed, add 1-2 teaspoons of milk or cream to reach a smooth, spreadable consistency.
Optional: Prepare Sugared Walnuts
- Combine walnuts, sugar, and a splash of water in a skillet over medium heat.
- Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until sugar melts and walnuts are glossy and golden.
- Transfer to parchment paper to cool and separate.
Assemble the Cake
- Once the cakes are completely cool, slice horizontally if you want thinner layers (optional).
- Place one cake layer on your serving plate. Spread a generous layer of espresso buttercream over the top.
- Add the second cake layer and repeat with espresso buttercream.
- Spread the mocha buttercream on the top layer only - this cake is assembled as a naked cake, so sides are left unfrosted to showcase the layers.
- Optionally sprinkle with sugared walnuts for texture and a beautiful finishing touch.
Notes
- Note 1: These proportions are for a light icing to cake ratio. If you have more layers or just want a higher ratio, increase the frosting by half while keeping the other proportions the same (so 1 ½). For reference, my images reflect two 9-inch cakes cut in half (4 layers) and I used a little less than 1 and ½ frosting batches to frost my layer cake. Note that I also added a little extra espresso powder, which is the flecks you see in the icing.
- Note 2: Check out Lynn's recipe on her own website, Family Tree Foodie. For reference, her images are of two 6-inch cakes cut in half (also 4 layers) and ½ of a batch of frosting.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
Lynn Weisz, Family Tree Foodie says
Becky, it means the world to me that you shared this special family recipe with your listeners and followers. Thank you for gifting me the opportunity to talk about it with you and helping us keep Maria's legacy and memory alive. Your podcast and work is so joyful!