Recipe: Baklava Poke Cake

I asked M what kind of cake she wanted me to bake for her birthday, and after much contemplation and indecision, she decided to go with an egg-less version of the Baklava Poke Cake, something our whole family is obsessed with. I found this recipe for the cake a few months ago, and being a baklava fanatic, I couldn't wait to try it out. The final result is a wonderful combination of walnuts, honey, and cinnamon soaked in a condensed milk mixture. SO YUMMY AND ADDICTING!

 

This cake is a little more complex then your average cake, but the results are SO amazing that it's definitely worth the extra effort. It's essentially a butter pecan cake topped with a cinnamon+walnut+butter mixture and soaked in a honey+sweetened condensed milk mixture, and then topped with a cinnamon and honey infused whipped cream. 

Ingredients:

Cake:

-Butter Pecan Cake Mix

-1/2 cup honey

-14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk

-2 tsp cinnamon, divided

-2 cups crushed walnuts

-1/4 butter, melted

-3/4 cup apple sauce

-1 tsp baking powder

Topping:

-Whipped cream (store bought or homemade)

-1 tsp cinnamon

-2 tbsp honey

-1/2 tsp vanilla

1.) Prepare the butter pecan cake according to the directions on the box, with the only extra addition being 1 tsp of cinnamon.

2.) Since this is an egg-less cake, I ended up creating my own egg substitute by combining 3/4 cup apple sauce with 1 tsp baking powder (Essentially, 1 egg = 1/4 apple sauce + 1/4 tsp baking powder).

3.) I added the apple sauce+ baking powder mixture along with the other ingredients specified on the box to the dry cake mix, beat it thoroughly, and baked it in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees in an oiled and nonstick pan.  

4.) As the cake baked (and filled the kitchen with a wonderful buttery aroma), I set about crushing the walnuts by pouring them into a ziplock bag and using my hands/a rolling pin.

5.) After the walnuts were crushed, I melted 1/4 cup of butter, combined it with 1 tsp cinnamon, and then coated the walnuts in this mixture.

6.) Next, I set aside the spiced walnut mixture, and began preparing the soaking mixture. I combined the honey with the sweetened condensed milk, stirred it thoroughly in a bowl, and set it aside.

7.) Once the cake finished baking, I set it on the counter to cool and poked a series of random holes throughout it.



8.) I covered the poked cake with the spiced walnut mixture, trying to layer it as evenly as possible.

9.) Next, I carefully poured the soaking mixture over the walnut-topped cake. Since my boxed cake mix made two cakes this size, I poured half of the honey+sweetened condensed milk mixture over each of the cakes. 

10.) I refrigerated the cake over night, and the next day, right before M cut it, I quickly combined the cinnamon, honey, vanilla and whipped cream, and generously dolloped it out over the cake. One candle later, we were ready to go!

(M and her birthday cake)

I enjoyed my slice with a cup of chai tea