Karithopita Olympic Walnut Cake Recipes

KARITHOPITA (GREEK WALNUT CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F; butter and flour a 13 x 9 baking pan.
• In a bowl combine the walnuts, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, breadcrumbs, flour, and baking powder.
• In a small glass, dilute the soda with the cognac.
• Beat the egg whites in a bowl until stiff peaks form.
• In a large bowl mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar and then add the eggs yolks; mix in the soda with the cognac, and add the milk and the walnut mixture, beating until well combined; fold in 1/4 of the beaten egg whites to lighten batter, then carefully fold in the rest; it is ok if a few white streaks show in the batter; spread into the prepared baking pan.
• Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Cool cake completely (it is very important that the cake is cooled before pouring on hot syrup because otherwise it will turn mushy).
• For the syrup: Mix all the ingredients together in a medium saucepan; bring it to a boil and boil for 5-7 minutes; remove cinnamon stick and pour hot syrup over cooled cake; let the cake cool completely (from the addition of the hot syrup) before serving.

KARIDOPITA/KARITHOPITA RECIPE (GREEK WALNUT CAKE WITH SYRUP)

Steps:

• Use an electric mixer to mix the sugar and butter; mix at medium-high speed for at least 5 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, whilst continue mixing; wait each time for each egg to be absorbed, before adding the next. Pour in the cognac and the orange zest and mix for 10 more seconds. Set aside.
• Into a large bowl, add the chopped walnut, the powdered Melba toast, the cinnamon, the clove, the nutmeg, the baking powder and blend with a spoon. (Chop the walnut, using a blender, but be careful not to powder it; the authentic greek walnut cake calls for roughly chopped walnuts.)
• Combine the two mixtures and blend, until smooth.
• Place the egg whites into the bowl of the electric mixer, along with a pinch of salt. Make sure your egg whites, bowl and whisk attachments are clean and free of any water. Whisk the egg whites until the mixture is very thick and glossy and a long trailing peak forms when the whisk is lifted (meringues).
• With a spatula add gradually the meringues into the mixture and blend with light circular movements from the bottom up.
• Butter the bottom and the sides of a round baking tray, approx 30cm diameter and bake in a preheated oven at 170C, for about 35 minutes, until nicely colored on the outside and baked through.
• Let the karidopita (greek walnut cake) to cool and then prepare the syrup. Add all the ingredients for the syrup into a pot, and boil, until the sugar has dissolved. Scar the cake into pieces, and slowly ladle the hot syrup over the cold cake, allowing time for each ladle of syrup to be absorbed.
• Let it cool down for a while, before serving. This Greek walnut cake is ideally served cold with some vanilla ice-cream aside. Enjoy!!

KARITHOPITA - OLYMPIC WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F Grease an 8- or 9-inch round pan.
• Beat egg yolks with sugar until pale yellow.
• Stir in orange juice, brandy and vanilla.
• Combine semolina and baking powder and fold into egg yolks.
• In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.
• Fold in walnuts, nutmeg and orange zest.
• Fold 1/2 of whites into yolk mixture, then fold in remaining whites.
• Spread in pan and bake for 30 minutes.
• Cool on rack.
• While cake is baking, combine water, sugar, lemon rind and cinnamon in a small saucepan.
• Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cook until sugar is melted.
• Set aside to cool slightly.
• Pour hot syrup on cake, place 8 walnut halves around the top outside edge and 1 in the center and serve.

KARYTHOPITTA: WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• For the syrup: Heat the sugar, honey, water, and brandy over medium-high heat until the sugar has dissolved. Turn heat to low and add in cloves, cinnamon stick, and orange rind. Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes and remove from the heat. Remove the orange, cloves and cinnamon stick and cool.
• Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
• For the Cake: In a medium bowl mix together walnuts, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and clove.
• In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, whip together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Slowly add in the egg yolks and continue whipping. Add in the walnut mixture slowly, and mix until well blended.
• In a very clean bowl, with an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter until the mixture is completely incorporated.
• Grease a 12 by 9-inch baking pan. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the cake is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour the syrup over the cake, until it is drenched in syrup. Cover with a kitchen towel and let cool. Cut into diamonds and serve.

KARITHOPITA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch square baking dish.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Cut in the shortening until it is in very small pieces, then mix in the milk and egg using an electric mixer on low speed. Mix for about 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the bowl at least once to avoid lumps. Stir in walnuts by hand. Pour into the prepared pan, and spread evenly.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in the pan for about 30 minutes while you prepare the honey syrup.
• In a saucepan, stir together 1/4 cup of sugar and the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the honey and lemon juice, and remove from heat.
• Make slashes in the top of the cake in a diamond pattern using a knife. Pour the hot syrup over the top of the cake.