Julia’s Walnut Cake with French Butter Icing: A Timeless Family Tradition

There are cakes, and then there’s *this* cake. Julia’s Walnut Cake with French Butter Icing is, without exaggeration, the most celebrated and requested dessert in my family’s history. This isn’t a claim made lightly; it’s a testament to its enduring deliciousness and the countless joyful memories it has created. From birthdays to holidays, this cake has graced our tables, always being devoured with unreserved enthusiasm.

The journey of my personal connection with this remarkable recipe is a little lengthy, but it’s a tale steeped in serendipity and family bonds that I promise is well worth sharing.

The First Encounter: Love at First Taste

My culinary love affair with this exquisite dessert began in 1972. As a newlywed, I was introduced to it by my incredible mother-in-law after one of her famously delicious dinners. The moment I tasted it, I was captivated. Its rich flavor and perfect texture were unlike anything I’d experienced before. My immediate reaction was to express my deepest admiration and, of course, to humbly request the recipe.

Given that my mother-in-law and father-in-law had successfully owned and operated a bakery in their younger years, I naturally assumed this was one of her original creations. However, she clarified that the recipe actually came from a dear friend, Julia, many years prior. She proudly mentioned having a typewritten sheet of the recipe from Julia and graciously offered to make a copy for me. Little did I know then just how significant that simple typewritten sheet would become.

A Serendipitous Reunion in San Francisco

Fast forward to 2015. My husband, John, and I were eagerly planning a trip to the picturesque coastal California, with our arrival set for San Francisco. After some delightful casual conversations on Facebook with John’s childhood friends, we decided it was the perfect opportunity to meet up. Fisherman’s Wharf was chosen as our reunion spot, promising a fun-filled day in our favorite city. It had been nearly fifty years since John had last spent time with his friends, John and Diane, who had resided in that beautiful region for most of their adult lives. While I won’t bore you with every detail of that wonderful day, rest assured, we had an absolutely fantastic time. We travel to California frequently, especially to San Francisco, and we always make an effort to connect with them during each visit.

The Astonishing Discovery Behind the Recipe

Not long after that memorable reunion with the Smugeresky family, I was planning to bake the infamous walnut cake for a family gathering. As I pulled out the cherished recipe, something caught my eye for the very first time. Printed subtly under the heading was a name: Julia Smugeresky! A wave of surprise and excitement washed over me. What were the chances that this Julia, the origin of our family’s most beloved cake, was from the same Smugeresky family as John’s childhood friends? The coincidence was too remarkable to ignore. I immediately sent a message to our friend:

“John, take a look at the attached recipe. This is our family’s favorite cake…. I got the recipe from my mother-in-law, Mary Bish, many years ago. I recently made this cake for a family gathering and, for the first time, noticed the name under the title. Could that possibly be your mom or one of your relatives? If so…. such a small world!!”

It wasn’t long before John’s excited reply landed in my inbox: “That’s my Mom and the recipe that she was most proud of! She made many a cake for our family and friends for their special occasions! She would be beaming today and maybe is, knowing that Mary Bish was one of her fans for the recipe!”

Learning that this incredibly special cake was indeed his mother’s recipe brought such a warm feeling. It felt like destiny. And how truly awesome was it that he shared a precious picture of himself as a toddler sitting on his mom’s lap? It’s a beautiful reminder that our loved ones, though sometimes distant, remain connected to us through cherished memories and, in this case, a delicious legacy.

Crafting the Perfect Walnut Cake

Now, let’s shift our focus to the star of the show itself: this amazing walnut cake. The baking instructions are similar to many traditional cake recipes, but with a few crucial additions that elevate it to a league of its own.

Key Steps for Julia’s Walnut Cake Batter:

• The walnuts are roughly chopped before being incorporated into the batter. For the best texture, I highly recommend coarsely chopping them by hand. This ensures you get a delightful mix of larger pieces, providing a wonderful textural contrast in every bite of the moist cake.
• For an even distribution and rise, the dry ingredients – flour and baking powder – should be thoroughly sifted together. If you don’t have a sifter, a good whisk will achieve a similar result, ensuring they are well incorporated and no lumps remain.

A Game-Changer: The Beaten Egg Whites

One significant step that truly makes Julia’s Walnut Cake with French Butter Icing a standout is how the eggs are prepared. Before you even start mixing the main batter:

• The eggs are separated, reserving the yolks for creaming with butter and sugar, while the egg whites are beaten separately until they form stiff peaks.
• These stiffly beaten egg whites are gently folded into the batter as the very last addition. This technique infuses the cake with air, resulting in an incredibly light and tender crumb that beautifully complements the richness of the walnuts and butter.

• Begin by beating the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light, fluffy, and creamy. This creaming process incorporates air, contributing to the cake’s tender texture.
• Next, add the egg yolks one by one, beating well after each addition until they are fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth.
• With your mixer set to low to medium speed, gradually add the sifted flour and baking powder mixture in small amounts, alternating with the milk and pure vanilla extract. Continue mixing until everything is just combined, being careful not to over-mix, which can lead to a tough cake.
• Finally, gently fold in the coarsely chopped walnuts, ensuring they are evenly distributed throughout the batter. After the walnuts, carefully fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. The key here is to fold, not stir, to maintain as much air as possible in the batter.
• Once the egg whites are just incorporated and the batter is a uniform consistency, you’re ready to transfer this delightful mixture to your prepared baking pans.

Bake It Your Way: The Layered Approach

The original recipe for this cake instructs baking it in a greased tube pan at 350°F for 1 hour and 10 minutes. For many years, I followed these instructions precisely, and the cake always baked beautifully. However, I often heard one common request from my family: they wished there was more of that incredible icing in every single bite! The tube pan, while yielding a lovely, tall cake, offered limited surface area for the French Butter Icing.

My solution to this sweet dilemma was to adapt the recipe for layer cakes. Instead of one large tube pan, I now bake it in two 8-inch round layer cake pans. This simple change allows for multiple layers of cake and, more importantly, multiple layers of that exquisite frosting. But I don’t stop there; I take it a step further to truly maximize the icing experience. Keep reading, and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

The Crowning Glory: French Butter Icing

While the cake bakes and then cools, it’s time to prepare what I truly believe is the crowning glory of this dessert: the French Butter Icing. This isn’t just any buttercream frosting; it’s hands down the best I’ve ever tasted in my entire life. You know how irresistibly good the icing is at Cinnabon? Well, this is even better – it’s incredibly light, fluffy, and perfectly buttery, making it utterly divine.

Steps for the Exquisite French Butter Icing:

• You begin by gently cooking milk and all-purpose flour over low heat. Stir continuously until the mixture thickens into a thick, smooth, and pasty consistency. This creates the unique roux-like base for the frosting.
• Once thickened, remove it from the heat and cover it tightly with plastic wrap or waxed paper, ensuring the wrap touches the surface to prevent a skin from forming. It’s crucial that this mixture cools completely, so place it in the fridge for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until it’s cold to the touch.

• While the milk and flour mixture is chilling, beat the room-temperature salted butter and sifted confectioners’ sugar in a medium-sized bowl until the mixture is beautifully creamy and pale. This step is vital for achieving the light texture.
• Add the pure vanilla extract and continue beating until it’s thoroughly incorporated, ensuring the flavor is evenly distributed.
• Finally, add the completely cooled milk and flour sauce to the butter and sugar mixture. Continue beating on medium-high speed. The mixture will initially look a little curdled, but keep beating! It will transform into a light, airy, and incredibly fluffy frosting that just about doubles in bulk. This takes patience but is entirely worth it for the magnificent texture.

Maximizing the Icing Experience: Four Layers of Delight

To truly deliver on that family request for more icing, I transform my two baked cake layers into four. This simple trick adds only a few extra minutes to the preparation, but it guarantees perfectly level layers and a delightful ratio of cake to frosting in every slice.

Layering for Perfection:

• First, insert toothpicks around the perimeter of each cooled cake layer. Make sure they are carefully placed halfway up, forming a guide all around.
• Using a very sharp, large serrated knife, use these toothpicks as your guide to carefully slice each cake in half horizontally. And just like that, you have four beautiful layers ready for frosting!

Before you begin frosting, use a pastry brush to gently remove any excess crumbs from the cake layers. Don’t forget to remove and discard those toothpicks! Now, select your cake plate or stand. Cut four strips of parchment paper and carefully arrange them around the edges of the plate, as shown in the images. This simple trick will significantly minimize any overflow icing and crumbs, keeping your serving dish pristine. Then, place just a small dab of the prepared icing in the very center of the plate; this acts as an anchor, preventing the cake from shifting as you frost it.

I’ve found that it’s much easier to spread the frosting on each layer if the cake is placed cut-side-down on the plate. This method significantly reduces crumbs and makes for a much smoother frosting experience. Spread a generous amount of frosting from the center of each layer out to the edges, adding a little extra to fill any gaps or uneven spots.

Once all four layers are stacked, pile the remaining frosting on top of the cake. Spread it evenly to the edges, then use an offset spatula to carefully smooth out the sides of the cake all the way around. Don’t worry if you need a bit more frosting here and there to fill in small gaps; just borrow some from the top of the cake. I personally adore the popular “naked” or “semi-naked” look on layer cakes these days, with sides that are almost bare, showing just a beautiful smear of frosting here and there. Julia’s Walnut Cake with French Butter Icing was truly born to be dressed in this elegant, understated way. Don’t you agree?

To truly fancy things up a bit, you can artfully add some whole walnuts here and there on top, perhaps accompanied by a few fresh greens for a touch of elegance. An equally delightful and simpler way to finish off your work of art is to sprinkle additional chopped walnuts generously all over the top of the cake. Either way you choose to decorate, this cake is guaranteed to be a delicious showstopper that will impress everyone.

Thank you, Julia. ❤️

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link. I have personally experienced all of these products, and I recommend them because I have found them to be of superior quality.

Need More Cake Inspiration?

If you’ve loved delving into the world of Julia’s Walnut Cake and are craving more delightful dessert adventures, be sure to check out these other fantastic cake recipes. Each one offers a unique flavor and baking experience that promises to bring joy to your kitchen and your taste buds!