Walnuts & Honey Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Joining the gurls in their BAKE ALONG!

from Lauren Chattmen's

Cake Keeper Cakes

 Whipped Cream Cheese filling (page 104) from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle

Walnut & Honey Cake by Lauren Chattman
1 1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 tbsp honey
3 large eggs
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a 9-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper. Grease the parchment. Dust the pan sides and parchment with flour. (I used two small 7inch round cake pans, greased only)

Spread walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant, 8-10 min. Let it cool completely.

Combine the cooled walnuts and 1 tbsp of sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until the nuts are finely ground. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and pulse until combine.

Add the butter, honey and remaining sugar to the large mixing bowl and beat on medium high speed until smooth, about 2 min, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the zest and vanilla. Add the nut and flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until just incorporated.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry 35 to 40 min. If the cake starts to brown too much around the edges, loosely tent it with foil after 25 min.  (Since my cake pans are small, it took only 25 mins for them to get golden)

Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 min, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up again to cool completely. Dust heavily with confectioner's sugar before cutting into wedges and serving.  (I made mine a layer cake with the whipped cream and cream cheese filling and with the extra filling I covered the top and sides with same)

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.