Oma’s Cozy Walnut Coffee Cake, Made With Love

In my first year married to my husband, I wanted to make a special treat for his birthday. So, I decided to take on Oma’s Walnut Coffee Cake recipe. A recipe passed down from Oma to my mother-in-law, and finally to me. Oma brought this recipe to her family from Germany, and it has been replicated many times over the years. As I looked at the counter full of ingredients, spatula in hand, I felt the pressure. This had to be just right. 

Luckily, the intimidating list of ingredients turned out to be quite easy to put together. Besides, she did it well before many of our fancy kitchen appliances existed. Now, my husband, his father, and two brothers look forward to reliving Oma’s Coffee Cake each autumn. In fact, I am no longer invited to Thanksgiving without this delicious cake in hand. 

While I never met Oma, I love making this recipe with my mother-in-law. She reminisces about how sassy and down-to-earth she was. And truth be told, that is a great way to describe this savory yet sweet coffee cake. 

As for traditional German desserts, they are neither too sweet nor too soft. It requires a little time, a little prep, and a little patience, as the best things do. It’s best made with a friend in the kitchen who makes you smile. It isn’t done right if it isn’t made with love. 

Tips For the Best Coffee Cake: 

• It tastes best when it sits in the fridge overnight, so plan to bake a day or two before you wish to serve. 
• The icing calls for pudding; it is imperative you do not use a pudding recipe that contains eggs. I find it tastes best with homemade pudding, though you can certainly use premade. Make the pudding first, so it has time to chill while you bake. Even better if it gets to sit overnight or for several hours. 
• Before baking, measure out all of your ingredients into bowls/measuring cups. It makes it easy and efficient to move through the instructions. The bonus is it’s easy cleanup in the end.
• Appliances that will make your life easier:
  • Hand mixer
  • Food processor 
  • Kitchen Aid
  • Cake stand and cover (and space in your fridge)
  • Your favorite spatula

Oma’s Walnut Coffee Cake: 

Cake Ingredients: 

• 8 eggs (yolks separated from egg whites in two separate bowls) 
• Vanilla sugar (2 Tbsp Vanilla extract & 1 Tbs sugar)
• 1 tsp rum extract
• ⅔ cup powdered sugar (separated into two bowls, ⅓ cup each)
• 1 cup flour
• 12 ½ ounces finely ground walnuts
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt, measured by the heart
• 1 ½ sticks of room temperature butter (or go traditional and use 4 ½ ounces of lard) 

Cake Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Prep two same-size springform pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper, and cover the sides with butter to prevent sticking. 
3. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with a hand mixer until stiff and form peaks. Gradually add one of your separated bowls of powdered sugar (⅓ cup). Beat until thick, and set aside. 
4. In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and nuts, then set aside. 
5. In a separate large bowl, beat egg yolks and about 3 Tbsp of water until thick/light and fluffy. Add vanilla sugar, salt, the rest of your powdered sugar, rum extract, and butter. Beat mixture until thick and creamy. Pour the egg white mixture (step 1) over top, then add the flour mixture (step 2). Stir by HAND (this is very important). 
6. Pour the mixture into prepped spring-form pans. 
7. Bake for 10 minutes. 

Note: This cake does not rise very high. You might pull it out and think, “Did I do this right?” And the answer is yes, you did. You did an excellent job. Just make sure it passes the toothpick test. 

Icing Ingredients: 

• 3 cups vanilla homemade pudding (or 2 small packages of cook & serve)
• 2 Tbsp espresso powder
• 3 Tbsp sugar (optional) 
• 3 sticks of butter

Icing Instructions: 

• Prepare the pudding (my favorite pudding recipe is linked) 
• Add the espresso as the pudding gets warm and stir as directed. Allow to chill to room temperature. 
• Using a hand mixer or a KitchenAid, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Then add the pudding a little at a time. 
• Once cooled, add icing to each layer of cake. 
• Top with any leftover walnuts and enjoy!

This dessert can be eaten with your coffee in the morning, or as your after-dinner dessert. It perfectly complements an earthy dinner such as these Squash Dishes. I know Oma would be proud to see her cozy walnut coffee cake at your table.