Pastel de Nuez is an old Sephardic family recipe. It is a delicious Walnut Passover Cake Full of walnuts and cinnamon. Our walnut cake is super moist and has the warmth of cinnamon and sweet wine, you will surely want to make it more than once.
My brain is like this huge board filled with sticky notes of memories of my life. It is scary, freaky, really how I remember EVERYTHING. It gets me in so much trouble.
There is a positive side to it though. All my childhood memories are stored up there in my head. All I have to do is close my eyes, and there they are.
And when it comes to Passover, the first memory that pops up for me is my mom’s walnut cake. I remember sitting with her in the kitchen, watching her make it. Moist, light, fluffy. Perfect every time. The sad thing is, she stopped making it after we all moved out and the recipe is now gone because she never wrote it down.
So here I am, experimenting again, using the bits and pieces I can remember. After trying just a couple of times, this was the result. Not exactly my mom’s walnut cake, but pretty darn close. I can thank my memory for that.. but this time, I’m not taking any chances. I am writing it down. And sharing it too.
I hope you guys enjoy it!!
Full of walnuts, cinnamon this walnut Passover cake is super moist and has the warmth of cinnamon and sweet wine, you will surely want to make it more than once.
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Not-Just-For-Passover-Recipes PART 5: Pastel de nuez - Sephardic Walnut Passover Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
Pastel de Nuez an old Sephardic family recipe. Delicious kosher for Cinnamon Walnut Passover Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup of matza cake meal
- 1 cup ground walnuts
- 2 tbsp of Passover baking powder
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 5 eggs, separated
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup kosher sweet wine
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 350F. Generously coat a Bundt pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, mix cake meal, ground walnuts, baking powder and cinnamon. Set a side.
- Beat egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- In a large bowl, beat egg yolks, sugar and vanilla at medium speed, until creamy pale yellow, 3-5 minutes.
- Slowly pour oil. Beat for another minute until well incorporated.
- Reduce speed and add wine. Beat until well combined.
- Add flour mixture and beat at low speed for another minute.
- Using a spatula, carefully fold egg whites into cake batter. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes.
- Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes.
- Run a butter knife around the sides. Place a serving plate on top of the pan, flip it over shaking it slightly. Remove the pan. When the cake has completely cooled, sprinkle some powdered sugar on top.
- ENJOY! From May I have that recipe!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Passover
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 351
- Sugar: 18
- Sodium: 78
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 16
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.2
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 18.3
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 5
- Cholesterol: 77
Keywords: Passover cake, Sephardic cake
trialsinfood says
that cake looks pretty darn good! i wished i had your memory! i don't remember much from childhood. even high school and university years are fuzzy. terrible!
mayihavethatrecipe says
Thank you! The whole memory thing is a blessing, but a curse sometimes as well! It's great to be able to remember recipes though 🙂
Glad you like it!
Esther P. says
This cake is easy and DELICOUS!!!! It sooo easy to make that passover isnt here yet and its almost done.....guess i will have to be making more!! 🙂
Julia {The Roasted Root} says
I have pretty much zero experience with kosher recipes, and I've been meaning to try out some of these great passover recipes I'm seeing. Your cake looks fabulous, girly! I want it for breakfast, with tea, for dessert! Happy Easter and have a great weekend!
mayihavethatrecipe says
Thank you!!! Same to you!!! Please let us know if you try these recipes and how you liked them. This cake is sooo good! Enjoy 🙂
Jacqui says
Can I freeze this Passover walnut cake?
It would be so nice if you stated this in your recipes, and how many days ahead the recipe can be made.
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Jacqui,
You can freeze this cake, just make sure you wrapped well and put it in a freezer bag.
You can also prepare the cake 2-3 days in advance, again making sure to wrap it well so it doesn't dry out. Hope this helps!
Rocky says
This is my favorite cake ever!! Doesn’t taste like you’re normal kosher for Passover cake - it’s duper moist and delicious!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you much!
Joyce says
Hi,
This recipe looks great. I have one question. What can I substitute for the wine? Thank you
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi! You can use grape juice instead of wine. We suggest using white grape juice, so the cake doesn’t turn out too dark. Hope this helps!
Lilyan says
This cake is delicious ! I made it for Passover and it was gone within the hour, thank you for sharing.
To make the cake year round can I substitute matza for flour.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Lilyan,
We have never tried to substitute the Matza for flour, we are not sure if it will turn out the same. We suggest that If you liked it as is, then just keep using Matza.
Francine Schraier says
Can this recipe be made with almond meal instead of matzacake meal?
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Francine, we haven't tested it with almond meal. It might work, but it will probably be a lot denser (this cake is nice a fluffy). Please let us know if you try it!
Louise says
Hi Vicky & Ruth! Your recipes, including this walnut cake, always look amazing! Since I’m not Jewish, can you guide me as to what Kosher sweet wine I should use? Thanks!
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you Louise!
Manischewitz is the most popular (and probably easiest to find) brand of kosher sweet wine. Alternatively, you could use regular grape juice instead. Hope this helps!
Leah Goldman says
can i use less cinnamon like maybe just a tsp or tsp and a half. will it affect the taste of the cake
Vicky & Ruth says
Absolutely! You can adjust the amount to taste. You'll just get a less prominent cinnamon flavor.
cindy faust says
This looks like a winner!!! And the photography is so beautiful and just inspires one to get into the kitchen to bake this lovely cake! Definitely looking forward to enjoying it at the Passover table. Will think of you and your family...I love old family recipes and stories. Thank you!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you so much Cindy! We hope you and your family enjoy it. Hope you're doing well!
SHARYN says
could i use regular flour for this recipe
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Sharyn,
We haven't tested this recipe with regular flour, since we've only made this cake during Passover. It will probably work, but the texture will be different ( matzah meal is significantly coarser than regular wheat flour). You might need to add a little extra flour (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup), if the batter is too liquid. Hope this helps.
Gita says
Lovely recipe. What can I use instead of a Bundt pan and can you also give baking time changes. Thanks and have a healthy, sweet & safe Pesach!
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Gita,
We've made this cake on 8x8 square disposable aluminum pans (the recipe yields approximately 2 of them). Start by baking it 25 to 30 minutes, and test it to make sure it's done. You could also use a 11x9 clear baking dish ( again, 25-30 minutes, then test it). Hope this helps! Healthy and safe Pesach to you too!
Leah says
will the cake taste okay if i use less cinnamon like 1 1/2 tsp. thank you
Vicky & Ruth says
Absolutely! You can adjust the amount to taste. You’ll just get a less prominent cinnamon flavor.
Carol says
Okay, I'm fessing up. Whisking egg whites scare me, I've never done it but I have to have a go for this cake.
Chag Sameach!!
★★★★★
Courtney says
Perfect & lovely, a new Passover tradition! One for seder, and one to enjoy all week long!
★★★★★
Vicky and Ruth says
Thank you1
Elaine says
Outside of Passover is regular baking powder OK to use? Same measurement?
Vicky and Ruth says
Never tried the recipe with regular baking powder, but we are assuming it would be the same measurement.
Elaine says
What size bundt pan do you use? I have ones ranging in size, starting at 5 cups.
Vicky and Ruth says
We would use an 8-cup bundt
Elaine says
Also, after Passover, can I use regular baking powder? Same measurement? Thank you!
Rosemarie says
I made this cake with white grape juice, in place of the wine and it is very good. But I have a question: Can I make it using the wine if children will be eating it?
★★★★★
Vicky and Ruth says
Using grape juice is a great idea! The alcohol in the wine evaporates in the cooking process, so it should be fine. Just to be safe ask a doctor.
Rinah says
Made this cake for Seder. It was a big hit. Ha, highest praise ever from the family, "It doesn't taste like a Passover cake." Thank you for this recipe.
★★★★★
Vicky and Ruth says
Thank you is the biggest praise. So happy that you and your family enjoyed it!
Elena says
Thank you so much for the recipe. I changed the recipe a little, and it turned out awesome! First, I thought 2 tablespoons of baking powder and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon would be too "overpowering" over vanilla and nuts' flavors. I used 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and grated zest of one lemon added to dry ingredient's mixture. I also used 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and one teaspoon of rum extract with the egg yolk mixture. I made it two layers cake frosted with lemon curd. Turned out so delicious - the recipe is definitely a keeper!
★★★★
Vicky and Ruth says
Thank you for sharing your variation Elena!