A traditional Greek Karidopita cake packed with all the flavours of Christmas, walnuts, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. This delicious walnut cake is soaked with an orange, vanilla and brandy syrup till just moist. Serve karidopita warm or cold with ice-cream.
Walnut Cake
Orange Syrup
A delicious traditional recipe, this lovely Greek walnut cake is baked in the oven and then soaked in spiced orange syrup. The cake is unusual in that the sponge is made from breadcrumbs and walnuts blended together in place of flour, these are added to a whipped butter, sugar and egg yolk mix. Air is added to the sponge using baking powder and whipped egg whites. Once cooked it is drenched in a sweet orange syrup The syrup is made from orange juice, brandy, vanilla and caster sugar, the sauce is thickened and then poured over the cake as it cools,
Add just enough syrup to moisten the cake rather than
soaking it, so it remains light and
fluffy if you are not sure add a little a at time. If you accidentally add too much pop the cake
back in the oven to dry the cake out a little. If you like your cake extra syrupy
then go for it, after all its personal taste!
We think karidopita is more a winter dish than a summer one, it
is packed full of winter ingredients such as walnuts, oranges, and spices, in
fact, it is ideal to add to your Christmas repertoire, as it is full of flavours reminiscent of Christmas and makes a great alternative to a Christmas pudding.
The dish is quite sweet and served with ice cream is perfect for adults and children alike. You can serve it as a dessert or cut it into neat squares and serve it as part of an afternoon tea, especially in the winter.
Karidopita is ideal for any authentic Greek themed dinner party, or Christmas dinner party. We serve it as the dessert for our Greek menu with spinach and feta parcels for the starter and lamb moussaka for the meat eaters and chickpea moussaka for the vegetarians for the main course. Take a look at our Greek-themed menu and see if it’s perfect for your next party.
This walnut cake is a delicious combination of ingredients - nuts, oranges, and
spices, without a doubt, the delicious orange, brandy and vanilla syrup that is
added to the cake after it is cooked makes this absolutely delicious.
This delicious recipe is a fantastic light spiced walnut cake, moisten with orange, brandy and vanilla syrup, It is a traditional Greek dessert or sweet, its name comes from the Greek word for walnut and pie combined. The syrup can be flavoured with different flavourings, common flavourings are orange zest, cloves, brown sugar and spiced rum or cognac.
