This Black Walnut Cake is a delectable, one-of-a-kind Christmas cake. It’s a cake that will look lovely on your Christmas table, with sugared cranberries, rosemary sprigs, and black walnuts.

Ingredients
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter – softened
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped black walnuts
- Sugared cranberries, black walnuts, and rosemary to garnish
- 1 batch Cream Cheese Frosting – (Substitute egg nog for milk.)

Instruction
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Use parchment paper to line the bottoms of three 9-inch round baking pans. Using baking spray, coat the whole surface. Remove from the equation.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing basin. Remove from the equation.
- Cream the butter, vegetable shortening, and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until the mixture is light and fluffy. One at a time, add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Pour in the vanilla extract. To blend, stir everything together.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the creamed mixture. After each addition, continue to beat until smooth. Combine the walnuts and fold them in.
- Divide the mixture evenly among the three baking pans. Preheat oven to 350°F and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean. Cool for 8-10 minutes in the pans before removing to wire racks to cool fully.
- Meanwhile, make cream cheese frosting* according to the instructions provided below. To add a Christmas touch, leave out the almond flavor and replace the milk with eggnog.
- If necessary, use a serrated knife to level the cakes once they have cooled. Then, between the layers of cake, put roughly 1 cup of frosting. Apply another cup of frosting to the cake’s top. Using an offset spatula, spread an equal, thin layer over the cake.
- To serve, decorate with more black walnut pieces, sugared cranberries***, and fresh rosemary sprigs.
Source: Inspired By Charm
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