Anne Shirley’s Walnut Cake with Pink Icing
“On the table reposed a nut cake which she had baked that morning. . .a particularly toothsome concoction iced with pink icing and adorned with walnuts. Anne had intended it for Friday evening, when the youth of Avonlea were to meet at Green Gables to organize the Improvement Society. But what were they compared to the justly offended Mr. Harrison? Anne thought that cake ought to soften the heart of any man, especially one who had to do his own cooking, and she promptly popped it into a box. She would take it to Mr. Harrison as a peace offering.” — Anne of Avonlea, ch.i
Ingredients
| Cake |
1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
l 1/2 cups sugar
l teaspoon. salt
l 3/4 teaspoon. Baking powder
1/4 teaspoon. Baking soda
3 squares (3 oz) unsweetened chocolate, melted, cooled
1/2 cup butter
l cup milk
l teaspoon vanilla
l whole egg and 2 yolks
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
| Icing |
1 cup Sugar
4 tablespoon Water, cold
1 Egg white, beaten
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Directions
| Cake |
1. Sift together the flour, sugar, salt, Baking Powder and soda in mixing bowl, add chocolate, butter and 2/3 cups milk.
2. Beat by hand or mixer (medium speed) 2 mins. add 1/3 cup milk, l egg and egg yolks (save the whites for frosting) and extract. Beat 2 minutes more.
3. Stir in walnuts. Pour into two 8 in. layer pans. Bake at 375 about 25 minutes. Do not overbake.
| Icing |
1. Add the water to the sugar and boil until the syrup spins a thread. Pour the hot syrup very slowly into the beaten white of egg, whipping constantly.
2. Flavor with vanilla and spread the icing on the cake. For chocolate icing, add 2 Tbsp grated chocolate to the warm icing. To tint icing: Lemon juice will whiten icing. The grated rind of an orange will give a yellow color. Strawberry, raspberry or cranberry juice will give a pink shade.
