Chocolate Walnut Cake

Rich chocolate cake with fudgy chocolate frosting and crunchy walnuts. If you’re craving chocolate, you need to try this cake!

We love chocolate cake around here. We’ve made it with oreos, peanut butter, and even as a bundt cake.

This delicious layered chocolate walnut cake recipe will satisfy any chocolate craving you have! This decadent dessert is an excellent option for holidays and other special occasions like birthdays. Everyone will adore the flavors of rich chocolate paired with crunchy walnuts. I hope you love this cake as much as my family does!

Why This Recipe Is a Must Make

1. Homemade Chocolate Cake: I love box mix, but there is something special about homemade cakes. It is rich, moist, and the perfect base for this recipe.
2. A Chocoholic’s Dream: This cake features chocolate in FOUR ways. With chocolate cake, frosting, ganache, and chocolate chips. If you like chocolate you’ll love this cake!
3. Double Frosting: Vanilla frosting on the inside with chocolate frosting on the outside provides a wonderful contrast.
4. Texture: Walnuts give a wonderful crunch that contrasts beautifully with the tender cake.
5. Gorgeous Presentation: Follow my recipe and tips to make a show-stopping cake every time.

Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips

1. Cocoa Powder: I used Hershey’s natural unsweetened Cocoa powder. Since this recipe uses both baking powder, and baking soda, you can use whatever variety you prefer.
2. Dark Chocolate: I used Nestle’s dark chocolate bar.  Easily chop by using a chef’s knife and starting at the corners. Look for it in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips.
3. Walnuts: Walnuts can be very expensive. Buy walnuts in the shell or whole to save money vs. using pre-chopped.
4. Cake Mix: Feel free to use a cake mix instead if you’d prefer.

How To Make Chocolate Walnut Cake

1. Make the cake: Combine water and sugar. Then stir in chocolate, butter, vanilla, cocoa powder, and oil. Finally, add eggs, walnuts, and dry ingredients.
2. Bake: Bake for 30-35 minutes.
3. Make Frosting: Combine all ingredients for each type of frosting in separate bowls.
4. Combine walnuts and chocolate chips.
5. Make Ganache: Heat heavy cream. Pour over chocolate chips. Wait for a minute, then stir.
6. Assembly: Layer cake with vanilla frosting. Top final layer with chocolate frosting, and frost down the sizes. Press in walnut mixture.

Tips and Tricks

1. If you don’t have Pam baking spray (baking spray with flour), you can use regular baking spray sprinkled with flour or cocoa powder.
2. Don’t Over Mix: Stir until the flour is just incorporated. Overmixing can lead to a tough, dense cake.
3. Don’t Over Bake: Cake is done when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. If it has cake batter on it, keep baking for several minutes.
4. Use room temperature ingredients to help everything come together.
5. Use a cake leveler for flat layers and easy stacking.

How Long Does It Last?

1. Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge, and eat within a week.

2. Make Ahead: Making up to 2 days ahead. I suggest adding the ganache and frosting the day you serve it.

3. Freezing: Freeze for up to 3 months. I suggest topping with baking paper and wrapping it in a few layers of plastic wrap.

More Cakes To Try

Elvis Presley Cake

Chocolate Poke Cake

Oreo Chocolate Cake

Twix Caramel Cake

Cannoli Cream Cake

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Chocolate Walnut Cake

Rich chocolate cake with fudgy chocolate frosting and crunchy walnuts. If you're craving chocolate, you need to try this cake!

5 from 15 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 Slices

Calories: 1366kcal

Author: Krystle Smith

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Cake

• ▢ 4 Cups All Purpose Flour
• ▢ ½ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• ▢ 4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• ▢ 4 Teaspoons Baking Soda
• ▢ 2 Teaspoons Salt
• ▢ 4 Cups Water
• ▢ 4 Cups White Sugar
• ▢ 10 Ounces Dark Chocolate Roughly Chopped
• ▢ 12 Tablespoons Butter Softened
• ▢ 4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• ▢ 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• ▢ 4 Eggs
• ▢ 2 Cups Walnuts Roughly Chopped

For the Vanilla Buttercream

• ▢ 1 ½ Cups Butter Softened
• ▢ 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
• ▢ 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
• ▢ 4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream

For the Chocolate Buttercream

• ▢ ¾ Cup Butter Softened
• ▢ 4 Ounces Cream Cheese Softened
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
• ▢ ¼ Teaspoon Salt
• ▢ 3 Cups Powder Sugar
• ▢ 4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream

For the Walnut Topping

• ▢ 2 Cups Walnuts Roughly Chopped
• ▢ 1 ½ Cups Mini Chocolate Chips

For the Chocolate Ganache

• ▢ 1 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips
• ▢ ½ Cup Heavy Cream

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Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray (3) 9 inch cake pans with Pam baking spray.
• In a medium kettle, combine water and sugar. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and whisk in the dark chocolate and butter until melted. Add in oil and vanilla.
• Cool slightly and whisk in eggs one at a time. Then stir in cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Gradually stir in flour a little at a time until just combined. Do not over mix.
• Fold in walnuts.
• Evenly divide batter between prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes.

For the Vanilla Frosting

• In a large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla. Stir in powdered sugar a little at a time. Add heavy cream as needed to reach your desired consistency.

For the Chocolate Frosting

• In a large bowl combine butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Stir in cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt.

  Add powdered sugar a little at a time, adding heavy cream as needed.

For the Walnut Mixture

• In a small bowl, combine walnuts and chocolate chips.

For the Ganache

• In a small kettle , heat up the heavy whipping cream until steaming. Pour over chocolate chips. Allow to stand for 1 minute before whisking until smooth

Putting It All Together

• Frost the first cake layer with around 1 cup of frosting.
• Place the second cake layer on top, and repeat.
• Top with the final cake layer.
• Spread chocolate frosting over the top and down the sides of the top layer.
• Coat the bottom of the cake with the walnut/chocolate chip mix
• Drip ganache down the sides of the cake by using a squeeze bottle.
• Pipe dollops of chocolate frosting on top using a star tip.
• Sprinkle with remaining walnut and chocolate chips.

Notes

Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips

1. Cocoa Powder: I used Hershey's natural unsweetened Cocoa powder. 
2. Dark Chocolate: I used Nestle's dark chocolate baking bar.  Easily chop by using a chef's knife and starting at the corners. Look for it in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips.
3. Walnuts: Walnuts can be very expensive. Buy walnuts in the shell or whole to save money vs. using pre-chopped.
4. Cake Mix: Feel free to use a cake mix instead if you'd prefer.

Tips and Tricks

1. If you don't have Pam baking spray (baking spray with flour), you can use regular baking spray sprinkled with flour or cocoa powder.
2. Don't Over Mix: Stir until the flour is just incorporated. Overmixing can lead to a tough, dense cake.
3. Don't Over Bake: Cake is done when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. If it has cake batter on it, keep baking for several minutes.
4. Use room temperature ingredients to help everything come together.
5. Use a cake leveler for flat layers and easy stacking.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 1366kcal | Carbohydrates: 151g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 83g | Saturated Fat: 39g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 164mg | Sodium: 971mg | Potassium: 549mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 114g | Vitamin A: 1490IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 156mg | Iron: 6mg

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