Macon County native David Deal, a consistent vendor of home-grown produce, homemade jellies, and hand-cracked black walnuts and pecans at Saturday’s Franklin Farmers Market, handed out this recipe in late July.
“This is my mom, Dorothy’s recipe, and it uses black walnuts hand-cracked by my dad, Berlon. They have tried using different things to crack the walnuts, but my dad just likes to crack them by hand using a claw hammer.”
Black walnuts, which are well established in this area, are considered one of the hardest nuts to crack. Only the most patient of souls will take the time to collect the walnuts in the fall, remove the spongy outer husks, and then place them in a ventilated area to dry long enough for the hard shells to begin to split, somewhat.
Or, they can be cracked open with a claw hammer, instead of waiting on the drying process, which can take weeks to months.
Then these black hand-staining walnuts need to be carefully pried open at the seam with a knife, small screwdriver, or nut-pick in order to get at the actual meaty walnut.
Black walnuts have somewhat of an earthy taste. Roasting them makes them a bit more palatable, and they can be used to top salads, incorporate into granola, cobblers, and more. But with this recipe, it is the cream cheese frosting that does the trick – providing just the right sweetness to marry with the distinct flavor of the black walnuts.
“Definitely one of our family’s favorites,” said David, whose “kinfolk” has been in the area since the 1800s.
Black Walnut Cake
Ingredients:
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 stick margarine
- 3 cups sugar
- 5 eggs
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 Tbs. walnut extract
- 1 cup black walnuts, chopped
Directions: Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Blend shortening and margarine. Beat in sugar. Add eggs, beating after each addition to the mixture. Sift together dry ingredients and add to mixture, with milk. Then add extract and walnuts. Bake in greased tube pan – or two layer-cake pans – for approximately one hour and 15 minutes. (check center with a toothpick or cake tester) Frost with cream cheese frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
- 1 stick margarine
- 1 8-ounce cream cheese
- 1 box confectioners’ sugar
- Milk (about 4 Tbs.)
Directions: Soften margarine and cream cheese. Blend mixture with sugar slowly with mixer. Add only enough milk for a creamy, spreading consistently.