Walnut and (accidentally flavored) Almond Cake.

Is it a walnut cake or an almond cake? I’m not sure what to call it because I mistakenly added almond extract to the recipe, a mistake for which I’m pleased. I can tell you however that it’s delicious and if you’re not careful (unless of course you don’t want to be I’m not here to judge), you’ll eat it in one sitting. Serve it with any topping you like - whipped cream, preserves, honey, powdered sugar - but I think the strawberry preserve I made pairs best.

Walnut and Almond Flavored Cake (yield: 1 bundt loaf )

Ingredients

5 1/2 tablespoons of butter (softened), plus more for the bundt pan
1 cup walnuts, plus a few extra for decorating
2/3 cup sugar
4 large eggs
3 tablespoons rum (I used a small airplane shooter of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum)
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 pinch kosher salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
powdered sugar (for decorating)
strawberry preserves (recipe below)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a small bundt pan (for a larger bundt pan, this recipe can be easily doubled to fill it).

2. Chop the walnuts until you have course crumbs. Alternatively you can use a food processor to achieve this by flipping it on and off a few times, or place the walnuts in a plastic bag and beat them with a pan, mallet or rolling pin until the desired coarseness is achieved.

3. In a large bowl, combine the walnuts and sugar and mix well. Then, add in the softened butter, eggs, rum, honey, vanilla and almond extracts, and salt. Mix well.

4. Mix the flour, baking powder and cornstarch in another bowl and gently mix into the wet ingredients.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake on a rack in the middle of the oven for 35 - 40 minutes. You’ll know it’s finished when it has begun to shrink from the sides and a knife comes out clean after poking it through the middle. Invert over a plate and let cool.

6. sprinkle with powder sugar and decorate with remaining walnut pieces. Serve with the preserves or other topping.

Strawberry Preserve (yield: two cups give or take)

Ingredients

2lbs frozen strawberries, thawed
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Pinch of Kosher salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 cap full strawberry extract (optional)

1. Begin by smashing the strawberries with a potato masher until everything is coarsely broken apart in a large bowl. Transfer to a large pot and add the sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Sauce will have thickened and bubble will have completely covered the surface.

2. Off heat, stir in the butter and optional cap full of strawberry extract. Let cool and then refrigerate until ready to use.