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Baking recipe · from the recipe book

Toasted Walnut Loaf Cake with Vanilla Filling

A tender, brown-sugar walnut loaf with a ribbon of creamy vanilla cream-cheese filling through the middle and a crunchy toasted-walnut top.

Toasted Walnut Loaf Cake with Vanilla Filling

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped120 gWalnutstoasted and chopped, divided
  • 1¾ cups220 gAll-purpose flour
  • 1¼ tsp6 gBaking powder
  • ½ tsp2 gBaking soda
  • ½ tsp3 gSalt
  • ½ tsp1 gGround cinnamon
  • ½ cup115 gUnsalted buttersoftened, plus a little for the pan
  • ¾ cup packed170 gBrown sugarpacked
  • 3 large150 gEggsroom temperature, divided
  • 1 tbsp12 gVanilla extractdivided
  • ¾ cup (180 ml)180 gButtermilk, low-fatroom temperature
  • ¾ cup170 gCream cheesesoftened
  • 3 tbsp40 gGranulated sugar

Steps

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with a little of the butter and line it with a parchment sling.
  2. Toast the walnuts on a dry baking sheet in the oven for 8 minutes until fragrant, cool, then chop. Set aside one quarter of the walnuts for the topping; the remaining three quarters go into the batter.
  3. Make the vanilla filling first: in a small bowl, beat the cream cheese with the granulated sugar until smooth, then beat in one egg and one third of the vanilla. Chill while you make the batter.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
  5. In a large bowl, beat the remaining butter with the brown sugar for 3 minutes until fluffy. Beat in the remaining two eggs one at a time, then the remaining two thirds of the vanilla.
  6. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk in two parts, mixing just until combined. Fold in the batter portion of the walnuts.
  7. Spread half the batter in the pan, spoon the vanilla filling down the center leaving a border, then cover with the remaining half of the batter. Scatter the reserved topping walnuts over the top.
  8. Bake 60 to 70 minutes, tenting with foil after 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake (not the filling) comes out clean.
  9. Cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes, lift out, and cool completely, about 1 hour, before cutting into 12 slices. Refrigerate leftovers.

Food safety: Don't taste raw dough or batter: raw flour and raw eggs can carry germs.

Contains: Milk, Egg, Tree nuts, Gluten.

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Saved in the Every Helping recipe book on October 24, 2026.

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