Ingredients

• 250 ml milk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 200 g all-purpose flour
• 100 g walnuts (divided)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 320 g brown sugar
• 150 g unsalted butter (chilled, cubed)
• 1 egg (optional)
• 1 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease an 8″ springform tin or line it with foil.
2. Mix the baking soda into the milk and set it aside.
3. Place the flour, 50 g walnuts, and baking powder in the bowl of your processor and pulse until the walnuts are ground (4-5 times).
4. Add the brown sugar and pulse a couple of times to mix.
5. Now add the chilled butter and process until you get a breadcrumb-like mix.
6. Divide this into half. Press half (approximately 435 g) into an 8″ springform tin, pushing some up into the sides if you like. Otherwise, pat firmly to create a base.
7. In the bowl of the processor, add the milk-baking soda mixture to the remaining biscuit mix with the egg and freshly grated nutmeg, and process for 2-3 minutes until you have a smooth batter.
8. Pour this batter over the pressed crust, and sprinkle 25 g walnuts on top. They will sink into the rather liquidy batter. Toss the remaining walnuts in a tsp of flour, and sprinkle on top gently.
9. Bake the cake at 180C for about 35 to 45 minutes until the top is golden brown or until a skewer pushed through the center of the cake comes out clean.
10. Cool the cake in the tin before demolding. It is best eaten while still warm, though it can also be enjoyed cold.