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A brown, diamond shaped Greek cake topped with nuts and icing sugar.
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Greek Walnut Cake with Sweet Syrup - Karidopita

Karidopita is a beautiful Greek walnut cake, soaked in a cinnamon infused sweet syrup. Perfect for feeding a crowd, and even better topped with whipped cream or ice cream.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Greek
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 24 pieces
Calories 227kcal
Cost $12

Equipment

Ingredients

For the syrup:

Instructions

For the syrup:

  • Pop in the caster sugar, water and the cinnamon stick into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure all the sugar dissolves. Switch off the heat and remove the cinnamon sticks, then allow to cool.
    2 cups caster sugar, 2 ½ cups water, 1 cinnamon stick

For the walnut cake:

  • Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 360°F.
  • Beat the egg yolks and half the sugar (½ cup) in a large mixing bowl until thick and pale (around 1-2 mins).
    6 eggs, 1 cup caster sugar
  • Next, fold through the self raising flour, salt and ground walnuts, then add in the vanilla essence.
    1 cup self raising flour, 3 cups walnuts, 1 pinch salt, 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then whisk in the remaining sugar (½ cup), pouring in a little at a time. It should become thick and glossy like a meringue / pavlova base.
    6 eggs, 1 cup caster sugar
  • Add one - two scoops of the beaten egg whites to the walnut mixture, mixing it through until well combined. Note: It may be a little tough to start, but will loosen up as it blends into the mixture. Pour in the remaining egg whites and fold through the cake mix.
  • Pour the cake mix into a lined (or greased) 29cm rectangle baking dish and bake for 40 minutes until golden and firm to touch. Test with a wooden skewer that the middle is cooked through.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and skewer the top all over to help the syrup soak in. Carefully pour a couple of scoops of the syrup over the entire top of the cake while it’s nice and hot.
  • Once coated, and the syrup has been absorbed, pour another couple of scoops over and allow to soak in again. Repeat until all the syrup is soaked in. If there are any areas holding too liquid on top, you can skewer these to help the syrup soak through.
  • Allow to cool, then slice and serve. To cut, slice into vertically into strips, then diagonally to make diamond shapes. See below for the shaping. Serve by itself, or top with more crushed walnuts, icing sugar, whipped cream or ice-cream.

Video

Notes

  • Eggs - To separate your yolks from your egg whites, we usually use the shell. However, there's plenty of ways to separate eggs at home.
  • Syrup - Make sure the cake is hot and the syrup is cold when pouring the syrup over the walnut cake. It may seem like the cake is swimming in syrup when you’ve finished pouring it all in, but be patient - the cake will absorb it once left for a few hours. The longer you leave it, the softer the cake will become.
  • Slicing the Cake - Wait until the cake has cooled to room temperature and soaked in all the liquid before slicing.
  • Storage - This cake will last a few days, up to a week, if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
  • Make it a Full Dessert - Serve with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, custard or even chocolate sauce.
  • Even More Flavour - Infuse the syrup with a splash of brandy, orange zest or orange juice, or add a few cloves while simmering (but remove before pouring).
  • Optional Garnishes - Top the individual slices with more crushed walnuts, a walnut half, and/or sprinkle with icing sugar. You could even top the cake with smooth chocolate icing before slicing. It's also great served up with whipped cream and ice-cream.

Nutrition

Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 63IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg