Bundt cake with ground walnuts makes the ideal weekend or special occasion dessert. It has a wonderful nutty flavor, looks fantastic, and tastes even better. This is a quick and easy recipe to bake a perfect walnut bundt cake on the first try!
➜ My quick notes on the recipe
I make this cake regularly because my family loves nuts for their earthy flavor, plus walnuts are packed with healthy nutrients.
Every fall, our walnut tree in the backyard produces a bounty of nuts, so walnut bundt cake is our favorite fall dessert. I use an old stoneware bundt pan for baking, which gives the cake a nice shape and makes it inviting for another serving!
Let me make a few notes about the cake based on my experience with the recipe:
- The walnut cake batter is made from whole eggs beaten with sugar until light and foamy. This step ensures that the cake is fluffy and requires only a small amount of baking powder.
- I have my own walnuts that I harvest from our garden. I always grind them fresh before using them on a rotary drum grater. Store-bought ground walnuts will work just fine.
- I baked my nutty bundt cake with three eggs; the batter amount is perfect for a smaller 6-cup bundt pan that serves about 12 people.
The recipe comes from the Czech Republic, where we call it "orechova babovka".
Try a classic Czech babovka, marble bundt cake!
➜ Ingredients
To make homemade walnut bundt cake from scratch, you will need:
- Eggs; whole eggs are put in the cake; there is no need to separate the white and the yolk. To whip the eggs into a light foam, it is a good idea to warm them to room temperature. Take them out of the refrigerator about an hour before baking. If you forget, dip them in a bowl of warm water for ten minutes.
- Granulated sugar; You'll whisk the sugar with the eggs. The tiny sugar crystals will help whip up a fluffy foam, so don't use icing sugar, which is finely ground.
- Pinch of salt; for contrast in flavor
- Plain yogurt; for extra richness and moisture. Feel free to use a thicker yogurt with a fat content of around 10%, as the fat adds extra flavor to the dessert. If you don't have white yogurt on hand, use another sour milk product, such as sour cream.
- Oil; canola or sunflower oil, which have a neutral taste, are suitable for baking
- Walnut; ground
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
Equipment: a 6-cup bundt pan
✅ You will find the exact ingredient amounts in the recipe card below, which you can also print out.
➜ Instructions with photos
STEP 1: To prepare the bundt pan, you need about a tablespoon of solid fat (Crisco) and two tablespoons of fine breadcrumbs or flour.
⇢ Learn how to grease and flour your bundt pan before baking
STEP 2: Place the whole eggs in a mixing bowl with a bowl of sugar next to it. Start beating the eggs with an electric hand mixer. Start at low speed, then gradually increase the speed, adding the sugar in batches. Finally, beat on high speed. After about 5-7 minutes, you should end up with lightly whipped egg foam.
STEP 3: Whisk the flour and baking powder together. Turn the hand mixer on low speed. Gradually add the yogurt, oil, ground nuts, and flour to the egg mixture. Mix until combined. Add a pinch of salt at the end.
STEP 4: Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to prevent batter waste and to get as much batter as possible into the bundt pan.
STEP 5: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) - lower and upper heating. Bake the bundt cake for about an hour on the middle rack of the oven. After 1 hour of baking, use a wooden skewer to test for doneness.
Stick the skewer into the center of the dough and pull it out. If there is any wet dough left on it, let the bundt bake for another ten minutes and repeat the test. If the skewer is dry, the bundt is baked.
➜ Removing the cake from the bundt pan
Let the cake cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Then place a flat plate on top and carefully invert it over.
If you have thoroughly greased and dusted the bundt pan and it has been baked inside, the cake should easily release from the pan.
➜ Serving
Let the tipped walnut bundt cake cool, then sprinkle with icing sugar and cut into pieces. Enjoy your tasty dessert for breakfast or brunch with a cup of coffee or tea.
➜ Storage
- At room temperature: Allow the cake to cool completely. Then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out or absorbing odors. Eat within three days.
- In the refrigerator: The shelf life of a bundt cake in the refrigerator is extended by about two days if you wrap it as described in the previous point.
- In the freezer: When cooled, cut the cake into individual pieces and place in an airtight container or freezer bag. The cake will keep in the freezer for about three months. You can also freeze the whole cake if you have enough room in your freezer.
➜ Useful tips
- If the cake domes in the middle, simply cut it flat after cooling so that it sits well on the plate.
- Before baking, make sure that the walnuts or the flour from them are not bitter, i.e., spoiled. Sample them, and if they have a sweet taste, you can use them without any problem.
- I bake bábovka only with walnuts, which are the most available in the Czech Republic. Apparently, it is possible to replace walnuts with another type of nut, but I have no practical experience with this.
More dessert recipes:
- Buchty – Czech sweet-filled buns
- Yeast bund cake with poppyseed filling
- Czech trdelnik
- Slovak nut roll
Tried this recipe?
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Walnut Bundt Cake (Czech Orechova Babovka)
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 3 eggs warmed at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup white yogurt
- ⅓ cup sunflower oil (or canola)
- 1 cup ground walnuts ground
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
To prepare a bundt pan:
- 1 Tablespoon solid fat
- 2 Tablespoons breadcrumbs fine
Instructions
- Grease each fold of the bundt cake pan thoroughly with 1 Tablespoon solid fat, then sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons breadcrumbs. Turn the pan upside down and gently tap it on the work surface to remove any excess breadcrumbs.
- Place 3 eggs in a mixing bowl with a bowl of 1 cup granulated sugar next to it. Start beating the eggs with an electric hand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Begin at low speed, gradually increasing the speed while adding the sugar in batches. Finally, whisk on high speed. After about 5-7 minutes, you should have a lightly whipped egg foam.
- Combine 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder together. Turn the hand mixer on low speed. Gradually add ¾ cup white yogurt, ⅓ cup sunflower oil, 1 cup ground walnuts, and flour to the egg mixture. Mix until combined. Add ⅛ teaspoon salt at the end.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to prevent batter waste and to get as much batter as possible into the bundt pan.
- Preheat the oven to
350 °F using both the lower and upper heating elements. Bake the bundt cake on the middle rack for about an hour. After 1 hour, use a wooden skewer to test for doneness. That means, insert the skewer into the center of the cake and pull it out. If it comes out with wet dough, bake the bundt for another ten minutes and test again. If the skewer comes out dry, the bundt cake is fully baked.
Notes
- The basic recipe is meant for a small, 6-cup bundt cake pan. One Bábovka bundt cake makes 12 servings.
- Removing the bundt cake from the pan: Let the cake cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Then place a flat plate on top of the pan and carefully invert it. If you have thoroughly greased and dusted the bundt pan and it has baked properly, the cake should easily release from the pan.
- SERVING: Allow the walnut bundt cake to cool completely, then sprinkle it with icing sugar and cut into pieces. Enjoy this tasty dessert for breakfast or brunch with a cup of coffee or tea.
- If the cake domes in the middle, simply cut it flat after cooling so that it sits well on the plate.
- Please note that the exact baking time depends on the type of mold you use. My bundt pan is made of stoneware, so I added an extra 10-15 minutes to the baking time because stoneware takes longer to heat up. In a light metal mold, the bundt cake will bake about 15 minutes sooner. Always use the skewer test to check for doneness!
Pavla says
I loved it! Super easy too
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
I am glad you liked the recipe!
Laura says
I'm completely in love with this divine cake! My husband's brought a big slice of this cake one day.. from one of his team members (his wife is Czech). I can only say, I'd never bother someone after 6pm. I had my husband call his "friend" and ask for the recipe. For few months now, our home smells like Bábovka every weekend. I will keep this recipe as one of my easy basis baking for when we crave something amazing 😊
First time, I halted the ingredients, not beeing sure I'd get it right.. I regretted . It was too little for the 3 of us 😩
Never again thought 😌
Sofiya says
Hi Petra, the cake tastes delicious and it was fun to make. Sadly it collapsed when I turned it upside down on the rack after an hour of baking in a traditional oven which is a disappointment as the screwer was clean and the base looked done. As it has not happened before with my bundt cakes using different techniques, I am wondering if you have any other tips. Maybe the temperature should be higher than 177C? I put flour instead of breadcrumbs - could that be an issue and why do you do that (is not butter sufficient)?
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
I'm so sorry the cake didn't turn out as expected.
The baking temperature should be fine. Did you try the skewer test? (test for doneness with a wooden stick). A good tip is to let the bundt cake sit for 15 minutes after baking and then turn it upside down. Wrap a soaked and squeezed tea towel over the bundt pan and wait a while. The cake should spring from the pan. As for preparing the bundt pan, butter is usually not enough, it's better to use breadcrumbs or flour, which will usually prevent the cake from sticking to the sides of the bundt pan.
Hope this helps!
Sofiya says
Thank you! Great tips, will try them tomorrow. The cake tastes amazing sonit is worth experimenting.
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
That is great to hear, Sofiya! I hope they turned out exactly as you hoped this time!
Andrea Clarke says
Brings back memories of my Mom and Omi, and Great Aunts (Tante’s) Austrian Czech and Slavic foods they would make.
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Thank you for your comment, Andrea. I am happy to hear the recipes brought you nice memories.
nurp says
You repeated steps 4&5 and left out the baking temperature.
Could you please add it back? 🙂 Also it would be great to indicate if it's top-bottom or fan heating.
nurp says
This cake is now my favorite cake! Thank you. It doesn't crumble. Moist enough.
I had to substitute half cup of the yogurt with vanilla-protein puding as I didn't have enough yogurt.
I also used ground almond instead of flour/breadcrumbs for dusting the pan.
I was wondering how to make this into a rich chocolate cake? Would you have a hint? I can share my results.
nurp says
forgot to rate!