French National Dishes

Gâteau aux noix du Périgord

A compact 22 cm walnut cake centred on Noix du Périgord AOP kernels, with butter, eggs, a modest amount of flour and Armagnac.

French National Dishes
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Gâteau aux noix du Périgord — shown with a cut section visible
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total 110 minutes
Yield 1 cake, 22 cm diameter, 6 slices
Ingredients ↓
About the dish

Gâteau aux noix du Périgord — walnut cake with Noix du Périgord AOP

Gâteau aux noix du Périgord is a walnut-forward cake rather than a flour-heavy loaf or frosted layer cake. This preparation uses 150 g of Noix du Périgord AOP kernels in a 22 cm cake, supported by only 40 g of flour. The protected walnut identity applies only when qualifying AOP kernels are actually used; generic walnuts can make a good walnut cake but do not inherit that designation.

The kernels are finely chopped or ground to a coarse meal rather than reduced to oily nut butter. Soft butter and sugar form the base, eggs supply structure, and the walnut meal carries most of the crumb. Armagnac adds an aromatic note, but the finished cake should not be described as alcohol-free because some alcohol may remain after a 30-minute bake.

The oven is set to 200 °C and the cake is baked until the centre is fully set, a skewer emerges without wet batter and the middle reaches about 95 °C. Because walnuts make the crumb naturally moist, colour alone is not enough to judge the centre. A full hour of rack cooling lets the nut-rich crumb firm before slicing.

Success points

Success points

  • Use exactly 150 g edible AOP kernels, not shell-on weight.
  • Grind to a coarse meal, not oily walnut paste.
  • Bake until fully set while preserving a moist crumb; combine the 95 °C centre with the clean-skewer cue.
  • Cool fully before judging texture.
Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 150 g Noix du Périgord AOP walnut kernels — dry kernels, finely chopped or ground to a coarse meal
  • 40 g plain wheat flour — sifted
  • 150 g whole egg — about 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 150 g caster sugar
  • 100 g unsalted butter — softened
  • 30 ml Armagnac — about 2 tablespoons
  • 1 g fine salt
Method

Method

Mix and bake

  1. Prepare the 22 cm pan and walnut meal. Butter the 22 cm pan. Chop the 150 g Noix du Périgord AOP kernels to a coarse meal, stopping before they become an oily paste. The walnuts are finely chopped to a coarse meal with no large hard chunks, and the pan is evenly buttered and lined as needed. Fine, even walnut pieces distribute fat and flavour through the low cake. Keep nut pieces away from anyone with a tree-nut allergy and clean surfaces carefully.

  2. Mix the batter. Beat the 100 g softened butter with the 150 g sugar, add the 150 g beaten egg gradually, then fold in the walnuts, 40 g flour, 1 g salt and 30 ml Armagnac just until even. The batter is homogeneous, thick and evenly speckled with walnut, with no pockets of dry flour. Adding the modest flour only after the eggs keeps the crumb tender. Do not taste raw batter because it contains raw egg and flour.

  3. Bake until the centre is fully set. Spread the batter in the pan and bake at 200 °C for about 30 minutes. Check the centre with a clean probe and skewer; the centre should reach about 95 °C. The top is lightly golden, the centre reaches about 95 °C, and a skewer comes out without wet batter while the crumb remains moist. The internal-temperature and skewer checks prevent confusing a moist walnut crumb with an underbaked centre. Check the centre rather than the edge and use care with the hot low pan.

Cool

  1. Cool completely before slicing. Set the pan on a rack, allow the cake to release its first heat, then unmould and cool for the full 60 minutes before cutting. The cake is completely cool, releases cleanly from the 22 cm pan and cuts without a wet centre. Cooling sets the nut-rich crumb and makes neat slices possible. Refrigerate if holding beyond the day of baking.

Serving, storage and make-ahead

Practical

Serving, storage and make-ahead

If the cake is greasy at the bottom, the walnuts were probably processed into a paste; stop grinding while small dry particles remain.

Serving, storage and make-ahead

If the centre is wet at 30 minutes, continue baking in short increments and protect the top loosely if it darkens too quickly.

Nutrition per serving

Nutrition per serving

  • Serving size1 slice (1/6 of 22 cm cake)
  • Calories447 kcal
  • Carbohydrate34 g
  • Protein7.8 g
  • Fat32 g
  • Fibre1.9 g
  • Sodium104 mg
Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

Allergens: Tree nut (walnut); Gluten (wheat); Milk; Egg.

Bake the egg-rich batter until the centre is fully set at about 95 °C and the skewer shows no wet batter.

Armagnac alcohol may remain after baking.

Refrigerate the cooled cake if keeping it beyond the day of baking.

Closing

Closing

  • Result: A compact 22 cm walnut cake centred on Noix du Périgord AOP kernels, with butter, eggs, a modest amount of flour and Armagnac.
  • Decisive technique: Use exactly 150 g edible AOP kernels, not shell-on weight.
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