Maida Heatter describes this Budapest Cake as the cake that produces love letters and a variety of proposals and propositions. Need i say more??
The Budapest Cake is one the most popular recipes from all her cookbooks (and she sure had a lot of them…at least 14 cookbooks as far as I know). Although I can’t promise you’ll be getting a pouring of love letters with this cake (but don’t let that stop you from trying), I can certainly say with all my heart that this cake is deliciously dreamy.
Recipe adapted from the late Maida Heatter’s cookbook, Happiness Is Baking (her last cookbook she had published which includes her all-time best-loved, tried-and-true recipes).
Budapest Cake
January 7, 2021
: 12
: 20 min
: 1 hr 10 min
: EASY
The Budapest Cake is moist and light. There is a walnut filling baked in between the cake batter which gives you the right balance of sweetness in each bite.
Ingredients
- NUT FILLING:
- 3/4 cup (200g) firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
- 2-3 tablespoons raisins, coarsely chopped (optional)
- 1 cup (100g) walnuts
- CAKE BATTER:
- 3 cups (375g) sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1.5 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 sticks (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1.5 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups (500g) sour cream
- GLAZE:
- 2 cups (300g) confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons hot milk
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Cover a sheet pan with baking paper. Add walnuts and toast until lightly toasted (about 5 minutes). Set aside and cool. Once cooled add walnuts to a food processor and finely chop. If you don’t have a food processor you can use a sharp knife.
- Step 2 FOR THE FILLING: In a medium bowl add all the ingredients and stir until combined. Raisins (or alternatively currants) is optional. Set aside.
- Step 3 FOR THE BAKE BATTER: Grease with butter a Bundt pan and coat with flour. Make sure to turn Bundt pan upside down and tap out any excess flour.
- Step 4 In a large bowl sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Step 5 In another large bowl beat the butter to soften a bit. Add vanilla extract and granulated sugar and beat for 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Then scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula and briefly beat at high speed until the mixture is very smooth.
- Step 6 On lowest speed (or with a rubber spatula) alternately add the sifted dry ingredients in 3 additions and the sour cream in 2 additions, continuing to scrape the bowl with a spatula as needed. Make sure after each addition the batter is smooth before you add in the next ingredient.
- Step 7 FILL THE PAN WITH BATTER: Spread a thin layer of the batter in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle one-third of the nut filling. Continue making layers, 4 layers of batter and 3 layers of filling (make sure the first 2 layers are thin layers). The last layer should be cake batter. TIP: When adding the batter for each layer drop batter in spoonfuls and then spread it out with the back of a spoon.
- Step 8 BAKE for approximately 1 hour. Remove from oven. As it cools (only cool for 5 minutes) make the glaze in the next step.
- Step 9 FOR THE GLAZE: Personally I think just a sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar is all this cake needs. In this case make sure the cake is completely cooled before you sprinkle on the confectioners’ sugar. If you opt for the glaze then mix all the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl. To control the thickness of the glaze add a tablespoon of hot milk at a time until you reach a thick creamy sauce.
- Step 10 Cover the cake with a rack and invert. Transfer cake onto baking paper or aluminum foil. Immediately pour on the glaze quickly over the cake. The glaze will run along the sides of the cake. Let this happen. The excess glaze will fall onto the baking paper/aluminum foil which you can just discard after cake is complete.
- Step 11 After the glaze on the cake has set use a large spatula to transfer the cake onto a cake plate. Serve warm or keep covered and serve the next day. If you keep it covered you can enjoy it for the next 3 days.