---
title: "Chocolate Walnut Cake"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/b7da180e-c8a5-40a1-b8b4-d592907c79a7
source_url: "https://alpineella.com/chocolate-walnut-cake/"
stack: https://stacklist.com/stack/877d6403-72bd-4bfb-9594-4b79864160f8
summary: "Chocolate Walnut Cake is a simple single-layer snack cake covered in fudgy dark chocolate sour cream frosting and topped with chopped walnuts, requiring only 15 minutes of prep time and no mixer. The recipe uses oil-based cake with hot coffee to enhance chocolate flavor and includes detailed step-by-step instructions for both the cake and frosting."
tags: "chocolate-cake, walnut, recipe, frosting, baking, dessert, snack-cake"
key_entities: "chocolate sour cream frosting (concept), Dutch processed cocoa powder (concept), oil-based cake (concept), Matilda's chocolate cake (concept), chocolate cream cheese frosting (concept)"
classification: "tutorial"
content_hash: "sha256:2b785162f3676a607c374d666f54e8dd796c3f533361471aa573f8504a0b6f01"
acp_version: "0.2"
token_counts_approximate: 2439
visibility: public
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status: "final"
---

# Chocolate Walnut Cake

1200 shares This is the most delicious chocolate walnut cake - snack cake sized! It's covered in the dreamiest fudgy dark chocolate sour cream frosting and sprinkled with chopped walnuts. It only takes 15 minutes to prepare this cake, plus no mixer is required for the cake! This recipe was originally published in September 2021. It has since been updated with new images. Sometimes you don't want a layer cake, as much as I love my chocolate orange layer cake, and want something simple like a snack cake! Using my favorite fudgy chocolate sour cream frosting (just like in Matilda's chocolate cake ), this chocolate walnut cake is a chocolate lover's dream come true. When testing chocolate cakes (possibly my favorite thing to test!), I tend to stick with oil based cakes. Not only does it mean we don't have to cream butter (or take out a mixer!), but it also gives a very moist and tender texture. This is a really simple single-layer chocolate cake, so it's perfect to make when you don't have a ton of time. The cake layers are loaded up with finely chopped walnuts, and I added more walnuts on top of the frosting! Recipe Testing The base of this chocolate cake is my favorite! It's a dark chocolate cake that is super chocolatey thanks to hot coffee. The coffee isn't flavoring the cake, but it helps 'bloom' the cocoa powder, making the chocolate flavor richer. It's the same chocolate cake as my chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting , I just added finely chopped walnuts. Making a Super Moist Cake Oil: Use a neutral oil in the cake, like canola, vegetable or sunflower oil. This will make the cake extra moist and no need to cream butter! Coffee: I add hot coffee to the cocoa powder which will bloom it, making the chocolate extra dark and chocolatey! Cocoa Powder: I'm using Dutch processed cocoa powder in both the cake and frosting. Buttermilk: Using buttermilk in the cake will make it super moist. Walnuts: You can swap out walnuts for pecans or hazelnuts. Make sure you chop them up very finely or they'll all sink to the bottom! Melted Dark Chocolate: Try to use good quality chocolate for the frosting, it will make a huge difference! Sour Cream: I don't recommend substituting the sour cream for something else in the chocolate sour cream frosting. Step One: Whisk together your sugar and egg for 1 minute until you have a few bubbles. Step Two: Add the buttermilk, hot coffee, oil, vanilla extract and, salt and mix again. Step Three: Add your cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Add your flour, baking powder, baking soda and fold until there are no pockets of flour. Step Four: Stir in the chopped walnuts. Step Five: Pour into an 8x8 greased and parchment lined pan and bake for 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Step Six: Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove and let cool completely on a wire cooling rack. Step Seven: Melt the chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl. I recommend doing it in 15 second increments, making sure you stir after every increment so it doesn't burn. Step Eight: Beat your butter and confectioners' sugar together on low speed in your stand mixer or with a hand mixer until well combined. Turn the speed to high and mix for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. Step Nine: Add in your cocoa powder and mix on low until the cocoa powder is combined - this stops it from flying everywhere! Increase the speed to medium and mix for 1-2 minutes. Pour in your sour cream, melted chocolate and salt and mix once more. Step Ten: Spread the chocolate frosting on top of your cooled cake and enjoy! Chopping Up Walnuts Make sure your walnuts are finely chopped, I use my food processor to do this but you could also place them in a large ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin. If the walnuts are too large, they might sink in the chocolate walnut cake. Try these chocolate recipes next! Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream (Moist & Easy) Oreo Drip Cake Easy Chocolate Pudding Pie with Graham Cracker Crust The Best Fudgy Triple Chocolate Brownies Made This Recipe? Make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and review below ! You can tag me on Instagram @alpineella or follow along on Pinterest , Facebook and TikTok ! Thank you! Ella Recipe Chocolate Walnut Cake Ella Gilbert Moist chocolate walnut cake with a creamy dark chocolate frosting and chopped walnuts. 4.92 from 24 votes Print Recipe Pin Recipe Prep Time 15 minutes mins Cook Time 35 minutes mins Total Time 50 minutes mins Course Dessert, Snack Cuisine American Servings 9 slices Calories 415 kcal Equipment ▢ 8x8 inch cake pan Ingredients   1x 2x 3x Walnut Chocolate Cake ▢ 175 grams ( 1 cup ) granulated sugar ▢ 1 egg room temperature ▢ 120 ml ( ½ cup ) hot coffee ▢ 120 ml ( ½ cup ) buttermilk room temperature ▢ 60 ml ( ¼ cups ) vegetable oil ▢ ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt ▢ 32 grams ( ⅓ cups ) cocoa powder dutch processed ▢ 110 grams ( 1 cup ) all purpose flour ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder ▢ 64 grams ( ½ cup ) walnuts finely chopped Chocolate Frosting ▢ 85 grams ( 3 oz ) dark chocolate chopped ▢ 110 grams ( ½ cup ) unsalted butter room temperature ▢ 113 grams ( 1 cup ) confectioners' sugar ▢ 42 grams ( ½ cup ) cocoa powder dutch processed ▢ pinch kosher salt ▢ 60 ml ( ¼ cups ) sour cream room temperature Ella's Baking Tip! Weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale for the best results! Instructions   Make Cake Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Butter or grease an 8 inch square baking pan and line it with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg for 1 minute. 175 grams ( 1 cup ) granulated sugar, 1 egg Add the buttermilk, hot coffee, oil, vanilla and salt. Whisk until it is smooth. Add your cocoa powder and whisk again until smooth 120 ml ( ½ cup ) hot coffee, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 120 ml ( ½ cup ) buttermilk, 60 ml ( ¼ cups ) vegetable oil, 32 grams ( ⅓ cups ) cocoa powder Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and whisk until smooth. Fold in your chopped walnuts 110 grams ( 1 cup ) all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 64 grams ( ½ cup ) walnuts Pour into your pan and tap on the counter to get rid of any bubbles. Bake for 35-45 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean. Allow it to cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then lift it out and let it cool completely on a cooling rack. Make Frosting Melt your chocolate in a microwave, stirring every 10 seconds so it doesn't burn. 85 grams ( 3 oz ) dark chocolate In your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar on low speed until well combined 110 grams ( ½ cup ) unsalted butter, 113 grams ( 1 cup ) confectioners' sugar Turn the speed to high for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in your cocoa powder and beat on low, then increase the speed to medium for 1-2 minutes. 42 grams ( ½ cup ) cocoa powder Add your sour cream, melted chocolate and salt and mix once more. pinch kosher salt, 60 ml ( ¼ cups ) sour cream Spread over your cooled cake and decorate with walnuts. Save This Recipe! 💌 I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later! I agree to be sent email. Video Notes My recipes have been developed and tested in metric grams. I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way.  I have provided a conversion to US cups but please note that I haven't tested the recipe with this method. Just click on 'US Customary' above the ingredients to see the cup measurements.  I make sure that all of my ingredients are at room temperature before I start the recipe, so pull out all of the ingredients before you start baking. Butter: I use European style butter in my recipes. This will make your frosting much creamier and richer. Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt, halve the amount of salt called for in the recipe. 1 teaspoon kosher salt = ½ teaspoon fine salt. Please note, I'm using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt and not Morton salt, which is far too salty.  Buttermilk:  If you don’t have buttermilk, replace it with an equal amount of sour cream or full fat yoghurt. You can also make your own buttermilk, for every cup of buttermilk add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of milk and let sit for 5 minutes.  Vegetable Oil:  Use an unflavoured oil like canola oil or sunflower oil.  Round Pan: want to make this in a round pan? Bake in a 9-inch round pan and bake for the same amount of time.  Storage: Keep tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let it come to room temperature before eating.  Show Nutritional Information Hide Nutritional Information Calories: 415 kcal Carbohydrates: 52 g Protein: 6 g Fat: 29 g Saturated Fat: 16 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g Monounsaturated Fat: 6 g Trans Fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 50 mg Sodium: 306 mg Potassium: 275 mg Fiber: 5 g Sugar: 23 g Vitamin A: 400 IU Vitamin C: 1 mg Calcium: 68 mg Iron: 3 mg The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed. Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below! You can also tag me on Instagram @alpineella so I can see what you made! 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