Walnut Kuchen, Chilean Recipe

Versión en español

Walnut Kuchen is an old Chilean recipe; I remember eating something like this growing up. It was probably brought to Chile during the German immigration. This particular recipe comes from a new Chilean cooking book “Cocina de Mercado,” is a great book. Highly recommended. The kuchen is light and not overly sweet, best enjoyed with coffee, my American friends like it.

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for 10-12 people for the dough,

115 grams of butter
150 grams of granulated sugar
1 egg
200 grams of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 180C or 350F. Butter a round cake pan of 22 cm in diameter (9″) or 20×20 square (9″x9″). In a medium bowl beat butter with a fork until creamy, add the sugar and beat until creamy, add the egg and beat well until incorporated fully into the mix. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix to form a soft dough. Scoop the batter into the pan and spread with a spoon or your wet fingers. Form an even layer and bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.

For the filling,

300 grams of chopped walnuts
1 can condensed milk
1 egg
115 grams butter, melted
pinch of salt

Chop the nuts, should be quite small as seen in the picture. In a bowl mix the nuts with the condensed milk and egg, a pinch of salt, stir to mix. Add the melted butter and stir well. Pour over baked dough (hot) and cover the pan with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, remove gently and carefully the foil. Bake 10-13 minutes until golden. Let cool entirely on a wire rack, refrigerate before cutting and serving.