Here is the recipe...
For the cake:
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped
For the icing:
3 large egg yolks
1 cup pure maple syrup
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 9-inch cake pans. Into a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until combined. With the mixer still on medium speed, add the flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Stir in walnuts with a wooden spoon.
Divide the batter evenly among the two pans. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cake is golden and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack to cool slightly. Let cakes cool completely before removing them from the pans. Frost tops with maple icing and garnish with candied walnuts, if using. Cake can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
To make the icing:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes; set aside. In a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the maple syrup to a boil, and cook until it registers 240 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
With the mixer running, slowly pour syrup down the side of the bowl in a slow, steady stream, until completely incorporated, about 1 minute. Continue beating until bowl is just slightly warm to the touch, 4 to 5 minutes. Add butter, one piece at a time, until thoroughly incorporated and the frosting is fluffy, about 4 minutes more.
I hope you try to make this cake for your next family get-together. It would be great to make for Christmas as well! Here are a few tips to ensuring that your cake comes out perfect:
1. When purchasing maple syrup for the icing, try and get 100% maple syrup. It can be a little more pricey than the imitation stuff but it is well worth it!
2. When making the icing, make sure the saucepan you use to boil the syrup is big enough. You want it to be big enough to hold double the amount of syrup you are actually using. Also, when you go to pour the syrup into the mixer, make sure it runs down the side. This allows it to cool slightly before hitting the eggs, so it doesn't cook them.
3. As with any cake, make sure the cake is COMPLETEY cooled before removing it from the pan. Otherwise, it will crack and break apart.
