Vegan Walnut Cake (Bolo de Noz)

🛒 Ingredients

• #Walnut Sponge;
• 200 g all‑purpose flour 150 g roasted walnuts.. (half finely ground, half roughly chopped)
• 150 g coconut sugar or caster sugar,, 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking powder,, ½ tsp baking soda,, Pinch of fine salt
• 200 ml unsweetened plant milk (soy or almond works best, warm)
• 80 g melted vegan butter or coconut oil,, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar,, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• #Salted Caramel Filling & Topping;
• 150 g coconut sugar or soft brown sugar,, 100 ml thick coconut milk
• 3 tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil,, 50 g roughly chopped walnuts
• ½ tsp fine salt.. 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water
• #Decoration;
• Whole walnuts for topping

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1

   Prep: Preheat oven to 170 °C (340 °F). Grease and line a 20 cm round cake tin. Mix plant milk with vinegar and set aside for 5 minutes until slightly curdled.

2. 2

   Make sponge: In a large bowl, whisk flour, ground walnuts, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add curdled milk, melted vegan butter, and vanilla. Mix gently until smooth — do not overmix. Fold in roughly chopped walnuts. Pour into the tin and bake for 30–35 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool completely, then slice horizontally into two even layers.

3. 3

   Make caramel: Melt coconut sugar in a non‑stick pan over low heat until golden and liquid. Slowly pour in coconut milk while stirring constantly. Add vegan butter and salt, bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook for 1–2 minutes until thick and glossy. Remove from heat, stir in chopped walnuts, and let cool to room temperature.

4. 4

   Assemble: Spread half the cooled caramel evenly over the bottom cake layer, then place the top layer over it. Pour the remaining caramel over the top and sides, letting it drip down slightly. Decorate with whole walnuts.

5. 5

   Serve: Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving, so the flavours set perfectly.