Spiced Walnut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

5 from 4 votes

Spiced Walnut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This Spiced Walnut Cake is perfectly flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and walnuts. Easily decorate it semi-naked with brown butter cream cheese frosting!

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Chill Time1

Total Time1 50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Calories: 624kcal

Author: Kayla Burton

Equipment

(3) 6-inch round cake pans greased and lined with parchment paper rounds
Mixing bowls
Whisk
Spatula
Measuring spoons
Scale/measuring cups
Offset spatula recommended
Electric mixer recommended

Ingredients

Spiced Walnut Cake Batter

¾ cup (170.25 g) unsalted butter room temperature
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup (120 g) sour cream room temperature
1¾ cups (218.75 g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup (120 g) chopped walnuts plus more for decorating (optional)
¼ cup (59.15 ml) Lifeway Organic Plain Lowfat Kefir room temperature

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese room temperature
½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar

Instructions

Brown the Butter (for the frosting)

Place the butter in a pan over low-medium heat. Stir until the brown bits form on the bottom and it releases a nutty aroma.
Transfer to a heatproof container and let it cool to room temperature while making the cake layers.

Making the Cakes

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans with baking spray and line the bottoms with round sheets of parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and creamy (about 3 minutes). Stir in the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream.
Gradually mix ½ of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, followed by ½ of the kefir. Repeat just until all of the dry ingredients and kefir are incorporated into the batter.
Fold in the walnuts. Be careful not to over-mix - stop stirring as soon as everything is combined.
Evenly distribute the cake batter into the 3 prepared cake pans and smooth the tops out as much as possible with a spatula.
Bake all 3 cakes on the oven's middle rack for 20-30 minutes.
You may want to rotate the pans halfway through if they aren't baking evenly. They're done when the tops are light brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes and then carefully flip them out of the pans, peel off the parchment paper, and set them on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Once cooled completely, wrap each cake separately in plastic wrap and set them in the freezer for at least 1 hour before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Mix the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the cooled brown butter, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar and mix very well.

Assembling the Cake

Place 1 cake layer on a turntable or plate and spread ¼-½ inch of frosting on top. Add chopped walnuts if you'd like. Then stack the next layer and repeat.
Spread frosting on the sides to fill the gaps between the cake layers. Then, spread more frosting along the sides & top and use a cake scraper or offset spatula to smooth it out. Decorate with walnuts and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Storage: Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze individually wrapped slices for up to 1 month.

Note: This recipe is sponsored by Lifeway Foods. All opinions are my own and I genuinely love their kefir and mission! If you need to substitute the kefir, you can use buttermilk in its place.

Nutrition