Walnut Torte with Whipped Cream

For The Whipped Cream:

1. With an electric mixer, whip the cream until it begins to hold shape. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and continue whipping until it is soft and creamy. Do not whip until it is stiff.
2. Refrigerate until needed.

For The Walnut Torte:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Butter a 9-inch springform cake pan and line the bottom with parchment or wax paper, or use a pre-baked 9-inch pie crust.
3. Beat the egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until well mixed. Whisk together the ground walnuts with 1/2 cup sugar and baking powder until blended. Add the walnut mixture and the flour to the yolks until combined.
4. Add the vanilla extract to the melted butter, then add to the flour mixture.
5. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Carefully fold the beaten whites into the flour mixture.
6. Bake at 300°F for 30 to 40 minutes until the top springs back. After 5 minutes of cooling, remove pan and continue to cool on a rack. Once completely cooled, dust the top thoroughly with powdered sugar.

Entertaining suggestion:

To serve, drizzle a little of the warmed Nocino Caramel Sauce, or store bought caramel sauce, on each of six plates in a fanciful design pattern. Place a slice of the Walnut Torte on top of the caramel sauce. Sprinkle the torte with a few of Cindy Pawlcyn’s Candied Walnuts (or raw walnuts, if you prefer) and finish with a dollop of whipped cream just to the side of the torte and serve.

Note: Original recipe designed to serve 6, to reduce calories, reduce serving size. Nutritional information below reflects one serving of the Walnut Torte. The recipes listed in the “entertaining suggestion” each link to their own nutritional analysis.