ermerins-ga.com

Maple Walnut Pound Cake with Maple Glaze

________________________________________________


Number of Servings: 12

INGREDIENTS
CAKE
1-3/4 cups coarsely chopped walnuts (about 6oz) toasted
2-1/4 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1-1/4 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 tsp maple flavoring
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

GLAZE
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 TBSP pure maple syrup
2 TBSP whipping cream
6 TBSP powdered sugar sifted
12 walnut halves

DIRECTIONS
FOR CAKE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 12 cup bundt pan. Finely grind walnuts in a processor. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in maple syrup, maple flavoring, and vanilla extract (batter may look curdled). Mix in dry ingredients. Fold in ground walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until top is golden and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer pan to rack; cool cake 10 minutes. Using a small knife, cut around sides and center of pan to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto rack and cool completely.

FOR GLAZE
Melt butter with maple syrup and cream in a heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Cool glaze until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Drizzle glaze over pound cake. Arrange walnut halves decoratively on top of cake. Let cake stand until glaze sets, about 15 minutes.