Traditional Karidopita – Greek Walnut Cake

A traditional Greek dessert made with the superfood walnuts – it’s ideal on a cold winter’s night, rich enough in flavors and spice for the holidays, and an all round favorite in all parts of the country! The cake is dark, dense and aromatic. While delicious without its honeyed syrup, its flavors are elevated when soaked in spiced delight.

INGREDIENTS:

Cake:

• 3 cups walnuts (ground finely)
• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups breadcrumbs
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp cloves
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup softened butter
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups sugar

Syrup:

• 4 cups sugar
• 4 cups water
• Cinnamon stick
• Rind of one orange
• ¼ cup orange juice

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350F, grease a 9” x 13” baking pan.

With a blender:

1. Beat the butter
2. Add eggs, one by one
3. Add milk
4. Add brandy

Mix by spoon:

1. Add the ground walnuts
2. Add the breadcrumbs
3. Gently mix in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices.
4. Pour into baking pan, bake for 45-55 minutes at 350 degrees (or until a toothpick comes out clean from center of cake).   Let the cake cool.

Prepare the Syrup:

• Place all the syrup ingredients in a pot and bring to a slow boil. Allow the syrup to boil slowly for a few minutes more, until the syrup falls from a spoon like honey would.
• Pour the hot syrup over a cooled cake (never pour cool syrup over cool cake, or hot on hot).
• You can decorate slices of cake with a clove or a walnut half.
• Do not refrigerate, it may cause the syrup to crystalize.

Photo courtesy of Tastycooking.gr (Eli K. Giannopoulos in English)