Maple Season and Maple Walnut Cake

Here in the northeast, we've had an unusually warm winter. Periodically, we have a day of light snow...like today. But for the most part, the snow has all melted, and the ice has melted, or is in the process of melting, off all the ponds and lakes.

The waning days of winter in New England mean the start of Maple Season! The sugar shacks all over the state have sweet smelling steam belching from their stovepipes and a steady stream of visitors come to watch the boiling process and stock up on maple syrup.

I love the sight of sap buckets hanging from the maple trees! This fine line of sugar maples is on the campus of Colby College. 

Maple season always calls for at least one maple treat to celebrate this first crop of the season! Last week, I tried a recipe for Maple Walnut Cake. In one word...delicious!

I found the recipe at this blog, and I give full credit to the author. However, there were some conversions necessary for American audiences, plus I've fixed an omission and added in some details. So, with full credit to the original author for creating a fabulous dessert, here's my amended version:

Maple Walnut Cake

1 c. pure maple syrup
1 c. sour cream
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp. salt

Glaze ingredients
2 c. powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
5 Tbsp. milk

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

2. In a bowl, whisk together: maple syrup, melted butter, and sour cream. Add egg and vanilla, and whisk again till the mixture becomes thick and creamy.

3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Then add the toasted walnuts and toss thoroughly to coat with flour mixture. Add the flour/nut mixture to the maple syrup mixture and mix till well incorporated and smooth.

4. Spray a 9" x 9" baking pan with cooking spray, and then line the pan with parchment paper. Spoon batter into prepared pan, and bake for 30-40 minutes or till a skewer inserted in middle comes out clean

5. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes.

6. While cake is cooling, combine all glaze ingredients until smooth and lump-free.

7. Carefully remove cake from pan by lifting the edges of the parchment paper. Set cake on cooling rack and loosen sides of parchment paper from cake. 

8. Using a long skewer, poke random holes down into cake, and while still warm, spoon about half of the glaze over the cake.

9. Let cake cool completely. Serve with additional glaze to pour over each slice.

Cut into 12 or 16 squares.

Happy maple season!