Orange and Walnut Cake

An old-fashioned recipe from Nana Ling, dated 1941

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This lovely Orange and Walnut Cake Recipe was recorded by Nana Ling back in July 1941.

The recipe includes the juice and zest from a whole orange, and the citrus certainly shines through in the cake.

Made in a bar tin and topped with walnuts, it’s a sweet cake recipe with easy-to-follow instructions.

Orange and Walnuts: a tried and tested combination

Oranges and walnuts come together to create a perfect flavour combination for cakes and biscuits.

In fact, you can even enjoy the two ingredients together on their own, in this Orange Candied Walnuts recipe.

Here, though, we’re enjoying them in cake form.

To make the cake, you’ll need a bar tin measuring approximately 14 x 24cm, greased and lined with baking paper.

The ingredient list includes:

• butter
• caster sugar (and a small amount of rapadura, brown or raw sugar)
• eggs
• SR flour
• almond meal (I’ve replaced some of the SR flour in the original recipe with almond flour for added flavour)
• orange
• walnuts.

The precise measurements can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

The step-by-step instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. However, here’s a quick run-through:

• Cream butter and sugar.
• Add eggs and zest from half the orange, beating again to combine.
• Add flour, almond meal and orange juice to mixture, alternately, stirring to combine.
• Pour mixture into tin.
• Sprinkle with zest from other half of orange, walnuts and rapadura sugar.

Nana Ling’s original Orange and Walnut Cake Recipe

Keep scrolling for the tested and tweaked version.

Orange and Walnut Cake

An old-fashioned recipe from Nana Ling, dated 1941

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Australian

Keyword: orange and walnut cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 200kcal

Equipment

• bar tin (approx 14 x 24 cm)

Ingredients

• 115 grams butter
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup SR flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1 large orange (making nearly 1/2 cup juice)
• 1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon rapadura sugar (or brown or raw sugar)

Instructions

• Grease a bar tin (approx 14 x 24cm) and line with baking paper.
• Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
• Cream butter and sugar.
• Add eggs and zest from half the orange and beat again to combine.
• Juice orange. You should have close to 1/2 cup.
• Add flour, almond meal and orange juice to mixture, alternately, stirring to combine.
• Pour mixture into prepared tin.
• Sprinkle with zest from other half of orange, walnuts and rapadura sugar.
• Place into oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Nutrition

Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 79mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 314IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg