The forests of Hyrule are often foraged for their many mushroom varieties, but these wooded areas are also home to a variety of nuts. The trees of Hyrule produce acorns, chickaloo tree nuts, and other varieties that are widely used in Hyrulean cookery for a number of dishes. While these nuts are often used to add texture and flavor accents to savory meals, they are also used to bake deserts. One of these deserts is the nutcake. Visiting any village near a forested area, such as Hateno Village or Rauru Settlement, one would surely find a freshly baked nutcake in at least one of the homes on any given day.
"Forest nuts give this cake a pleasant texture and a simple, understated sweetness."
For this version of the nutcake, we will be using pecans and pistachios to match the colors of the nuts on the cake, and because pecans are just tasty in baked goods. :) The sugar, molasses, and spices will help add that underlying sweetness mentioned in the description. The end result is nutty and mildly sweet cake that is very reminiscent of a coffee cake (justy nuttier). In order to ensure the cake stays moist, be sure not to over mix the batter as you are building it, and do not overbake the cake. You want to pull that cake out of the oven and get it onto the cooling rack once it is fully baked. Even though there are no Hyrulean coffee shops, I think this cake goes amazingly well with a cup of coffee! I could totally imagine enjoying this cake at a Hyrule village cafe or for a morning breakfast at any home.
Ingredients
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
½ cup milk
1 tbsp molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
½ cup milk
1 tbsp molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
Topping
2-4 tablespoons of honey
½ cup pecans
½ cup pistachios
Whipped Cream
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mint leaves, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Have a rack ready in the lower third of the oven.
Add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and allspice to a mixing bowl. Stir well with a large spoon or spatula until all of the dry ingredients are fully blended.
Add the room temperature butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer. Using a whisk attachment, whisk the butter and sugar together at a medium speed for 1-2 minutes until they are creamed. The creamed butter and sugar should be fluffy and pale yellow in color. This can also be done by hand with a whisk in a large bowl.
Add the eggs, vanilla, molasses, and milk to the mixer bowl. Switch the attachment out to a the mixing paddle and blend all of the wet ingredients at low-medium speed until everything is well blended together. This can again be done by hand with a spatula.
Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients a little at a time, mixing with the paddle at a low speed until the wet and dry ingredients are fully incorporated, forming a batter. This can also be done by hand with a spatula.
Lastly, add the chopped pecans and gently fold them into the batter with a spatula, making sure they are evenly dispersed throughout the batter.
Now we are ready to bake! Grease a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan with additional butter, and then pour the cake batter into the pan. Once all of the batter is in the pan, give it a little shake to level the batter out. Place the loaf pan on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Allow the cake to bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Once the cake is finished baking, remove it from the oven. Remove the cake from the loaf pan and allow it to cool in a wire baking rack.
Mix the half cup of pecans and half cup of pistachios together in a bowl. Once the cake has fully cooled, pour (and gently spread, if necessary) 1-2 tablespoons of honey across the top of the cake. This will help the nuts to stick to the top of the cake. Sprinkle the pecan and pistachio mix across the top of the cake, ensuring the top is fully covered with the nuts. Pour the remaining 1-2 tablespoons of honey over the top of the nuts to glaze them and help them to stick to the top of the cake further.
To make the whipped cream, combine one cup of heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons of white sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in the bowl of a standing mixer. Attach a whisk attachment and whisk the contents at medium speed for about 5 minutes or until the cream mixture whips up into stiff peaks. Whipped cream can be made ahead of time and kept cold in the refrigerator.
To serve, slice a portion of the nutcake and place it on a plate. Thicker slices can be served standing upright as in the in-game picture, but smaller slices will need to be served laying down. Add a dollop of whipped cream beside the slice of cake and garnish the whipped cream with mint leaves. Enjoy!
Learn more about the Nutcake dish from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at Zelda Dungeon.