Passover cake.
Dry.
Heavy.
Has funny aftertaste.
Has about as much appeal as a root canal. (And trust me, I’ve had one two.)
I got together a focus group and asked them what they thought when I said “Passover cake,” and the above are their quotes.
I’m kidding, of course, but I don’t think my hypothetical group is that far off in its determination about Passover desserts. When you replace versatile white flour with anything—be it millet flour or matzoh meal—you can run into some textural issues with your baked goods.
That’s why one of the easiest Passover solutions is chocolate bark. It never has any flour in it. Another good one is the coconut macaroon. Last, the flourless chocolate cake. There’s also ice cream.
But what’s funny is that one of my favorite cake templates is already Passover-friendly. You don’t have to substitute any weird flour mixes. It’s just lots of eggs, a couple cups of sugar, and ground toasted nuts. It’s not dry, it’s not heavy, and it doesn’t have a funny aftertaste.
It’s light and dense all at once, and not too filling after a meal of brisket and potatoes.
Unless you serve it with chocolate whipped cream, which is what I do. (If you really have eaten brisket, of course, you’ll want to omit the cream since it’s dairy. I’d vote for scoops of dairy-free coconut ice cream instead.)
From my kitchen, where the parve cakes taste great, to yours,
Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK
**Recipe**
Walnut Passover Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream
Makes one 9-inch cake
Of course if you make this with the cream, it isn’t parve, but I don’t know if you care. And, I’ve heard that there exists kosher cream of tartar. If you don’t find that, just omit it altogether and be extra careful not to overbeat the whites.
Ingredients
For the cake:
2 ¾ cups walnuts, toasted
½ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
7 eggs, separated
¾ teaspoon cream of tartar (optional; if keeping kosher for Passover, you can omit)
For the cream:
½ cup whipped cream
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons good-quality cocoa powder, sifted
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom of a 9-inch round springform cake pan, then cut a circle of parchment paper to fit over the greased bottom. Don’t grease the sides.
Toast the walnuts on a baking sheet for 5-7 minutes, stirring once. They should be fragrant and taste toasty. Let them cool to room temperature, then put them in a food processor with the brown sugar and the salt. Grind for just a few pulses, until the nuts are fine but not oily. Set aside.
Put the egg yolks and the 1/2 cup white sugar in a medium mixing bowl and beat them with a handheld mixer for about 5 minutes, until the yolks have lightened in color and are thick and fluffy. Fold the ground walnuts and the cocoa powder into this mixture.
Rinse the beaters really well and dry them thoroughly.
In another mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar if using with the clean beaters until the whites form soft peaks when the whisk is raised.
Add about one-quarter of the egg whites to the walnut-yolk mixture and fold to combine. In three parts, add the remaining egg whites, folding gently but thoroughly. You want the whites to be completely incorporated, with no streaks left.
Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake is springy to the touch and no longer jiggly. Remove from the oven and invert the cake immediately on a lightly greased rack. Let it sit until cool to the touch, about 45 minutes. Run an offset spatula or butter knife around the edges, then loosen the pan and invert the cake onto a baking sheet. Remove the pan bottom and the parchment, and let the cake cool completely.
You can make the cake in advance and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Keep it in the refrigerator if you’ve made it more than a few hours in advance.
When ready to serve, make the whipped cream. Combine the cream with the confectioners’ sugar and the cocoa powder. Beat to incorporate the cocoa and continue to beat until the cream is thickened and forms a soft peak when you lift the beater.
Scoop onto the top of the cake and sprinkle with more cocoa powder. You can also serve the cream on the side.
