Rye Walnut Chocolate Chip Cake

A few random, very small amounts of assorted walnuts and half a bag of rye flour in my freezer basically led to this cake. Orange zest and chocolate chips add to the flavour bomb and this soft, tea cake-style loaf is packed with a nuttiness from the rye that is amazing. It’s super quick to make and deeeelish slightly warm. Let’s bake!

While searching for ideas for what to do with all that rye flour, I came across a recipe from Heidi Swanson’s cookbook on Turntable Kitchen. I loved the addition of orange zest and honey to a basic cake and decided I must try it. Instead of the varied seeds as mix-ins, I went with melty chocolate chips and crunchy walnuts. Absolutely no regrets. I also halved the recipe to make a not-so-tall loaf cake and reduced the honey to make room for the chocolate.

With so many flavours and textures going on, this cake is a real treat. It’s soft and fluffy even with the slight denseness that comes from rye flour. I’m sure you can just use all-purpose flour if you prefer, but try it with the rye if you can. Because though I usually find the word ‘earthy’ super vague, here it makes sense. Rye does have an earthy flavour that I can’t really put into words, so try a slice and you’ll know!

The batter is very quick and the addition of yoghurt leads to a moist, tender end result. You can definitely switch the mix-ins with whatever you have on hand. Dried fruit or other nuts like almonds and pecans would be so good! Or leave it plain and let the orange zest shine 🙂

Let’s make some cake!

Rye Walnut Chocolate Chip Cake

Rye flour loaf cake with orange zest, walnuts and chocolate chips

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr

Makes: 8 large slices

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Ingredients

  

• 1 cup plus 2 tbsps rye flour (see notes)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt, if using unsalted butter
• 85 gms butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsps honey
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg, at room temperature (I have not tried substitutes)
• 1/2 cup thick plain yoghurt, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 175 C and grease a 9x5 loaf tin or line it with non-stick baking paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the honey, orange zest and vanilla and beat briefly.
• Add the egg and beat until incorporated into the batter.
• Now add half the flour mixture and half the yoghurt (this prevents the batter from splitting) and beat on low speed. Then add the remaining yoghurt and flour mixture, beating again to combine into a smooth, thick-ish batter.
• Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts, then transfer the batter to the prepared loaf tin. Smoothen the top and bake for 40 to 45 mins until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
• Store in an airtight tin at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, after which it is best kept in the fridge (in humid places) for a week. The cake is on the denser side because of the rye flour, so lightly reheating the pieces will bring them back to the original texture. Happy baking!

Notes

*Since this is a small-ish recipe, the loaf will not rise very tall. Feel free to double it if you prefer and increase the baking time accordingly.

*Rye flour is of course, recommended, but all-purpose flour or a mix of all-purpose and wholewheat should also work.

*Original recipe from Heidi Swanson’s cookbook on Turntable Kitchen

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