Garash is a flourless walnut and chocolate cake popular in Bulgaria. A very special dessert favorite of several generations. A wonderful combination of walnuts, chocolate and eggs, baked together to create a decadent and unforgettable cake.
My version of the recipe is easy, fuss-free and gives you the opportunity to make it low-carb and keto-friendly.
And if you are a chocolate lover, check out also The Best Keto Chocolate Cake that literally everyone will love and the No-Bake Chocolate Cake with mascarpone which is a pure delight!
What is a Garash cake
The original Garash cake is made with walnut layers and thick chocolate frosting. You may find many recipe variations of Garash but they can be separated in two main kinds:
1. The first kind does not call for chocolate as an ingredient. The layers are made most commonly with walnuts + egg whites + in some cases part of the egg yolks + sugar. The frosting is made of yolks, cocoa powder, butter and sugar. The downside of this method, in my view, is the presence of uncooked yolks in the frosting: something that I don't approve in my recipes.
2. The second kind of Garash recipes call for dark chocolate and only egg whites but not yolks. The layers are made of walnuts, sugar and egg whites and the frosting is made of chocolate and cream (heavy or sour). What I don't like here is that you are left with a big number of egg yolks which you might not know what to do with.
I decided to create a new Garash cake recipe by eliminating the downsides of the existing ones. The current recipe is not only low carb, it is also very practical, safe for adults and kids (as long as not allergic or sensitive to cocoa or nuts) and easy to make. It is basically a chocolate walnut sponge cake frosted with chocolate ganache.
Ingredients for this recipe
This recipe consists of only 5 main ingredients for the base and 3 for the ganache frosting:
For the cake base:
- 1,5 tbsp/ 10 g coconut flour
- 1 ¾ cup/ 200 g chopped walnuts
- 6 eggs, separated
- ½ cup / 100 g granulated sweetener: sugar or for a low-carb version xylitol or erythritol
- 3 tablespoon / 20 g cocoa powder
For the ganache:
- 7 oz / 200 g dark chocolate, 80-90% cocoa*
- ¾ cup/ 200 ml heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon powdered sweetener by choice
Preparation summary
- To make the layers, first you need to grind the walnuts together with your sweetener in a food processor.
- Then beat the egg whites until thick and foamy.
- Beat the yolks separately and start adding from the walnut mixture, cocoa powder and coconut flour. When the yolk mixture becomes very thick, start adding also from the egg whites. Whisk gently all the ingredients in order to keep the air in the batter.
- When all ingredients are absorbed and the batter becomes smooth, divide it in 3 or 4 parts and bake them separately in cake pans, covered with parchment paper.
- To make the frosting you need to heat the cream with the sweetener until it starts simmering, but not boiling. Pour it over the chocolate and stir the mixture until smooth. Let it cool until room temperature and then refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Beat the cold ganache with a mixer until fluffy.
- Assemble the cake after the layers are completely cold.
Decoration ideas
Traditionally the Garash cake is covered with a chocolate glaze and sprinkled with ground pistachio or shredded coconut. You can make a glaze, if you prefer, by melting some dark chocolate together with butter or olive oil and pouring it over the cake.
I left my cake without glaze but sprinkled it with thin chocolate pieces and placed some walnuts on top. Other decoration options would be to pipe some of the whipped chocolate ganache on top or to arrange dark chocolate pieces or shaves. Anything related to chocolate and nuts will go well on this cake!
Variations
Coconut flour: I used it to facilitate a low-carb versions. However if you prefer to use all-purpose flour or starch, just increase the quantity to ¼ cup/ 30 g. A good guide on substituting ingredients is the article Baking Ingredients Explained.
Sweetener: It has to be more or less as sweet as sugar so you can use the same quantity as indicated in the recipe or slightly more. Any sweetener that is too sweet (e.g. stevia) is not a good choice as it will completely change the dry and wet proportions of the recipe.
Walnuts: Traditionally this is a walnut cake. If you want to try making it with hazelnuts or almonds, for example, it won't be a problem. Just consider that the taste will be completely different.
Did you like this recipe? Feel free to share the link so more people can benefit from it!
In case you are interested to see other Garash cake recipes, I have selected some for you:
Garash Cake (Walnut Meringue + Dark Chocolate cream) - Viktoria's Table
Garash Cake - Cooking LSL
Garash Cake - Kiflichka Cuisine
📝 Recipe
Keto Chocolate Walnut Cake - Garash
Equipment
- 2 x 7 inch / 18 cm cake tins
- Electric mixer
- Food Processor
Ingredients
For the cake base:
- 1,5 tbs/ 10 g coconut flour
- 1 ¾ cup/ 200 g chopped walnuts
- 6 eggs, separated
- ½ cup / 100 g granulated sugar, or xylitol/ erythritol for a low-carb version
- 3 tbs / 20 g cocoa powder
For the ganache:
- 7 oz / 200 g dark chocolate, 80-90% cocoa*
- ¾ cup/ 200 ml heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon powdered sugar, or xylitol/ erythritol for a low-carb version
For decoration:
- Chopped walnuts
- Dark chocolate shaves/ pieces
Instructions
Cake Base:
- Preheat oven to 360 degrees F/ 180 degrees C. Line two 7 inch/ 18 cm cake pans with circles of parchment paper. Grease well the pans inside.
- In a food processor grind the walnuts finely together with the sweetener.
- In a large bowl beat the egg whites with an electric mixer at a high speed until thick and foamy.
- In another mixing bowl beat the egg yolks at high speed until pale. Start adding from the walnuts to the yolks, beating with the mixer at a lower speed. When the mixture becomes thick, switch off the mixer.
- Start adding also from the egg whites and mix gently with a rubber spatula. Alternate with the walnuts, cocoa powder and coconut flour, folding carefully to maintain as much air as possible inside the batter.
- When all ingredients are absorbed and the batter is smooth, divide it in three or four equal parts. Bake two parts together in the prepared pans for about 20 minutes and keep the rest of the batter in the fridge. Test the layers with a toothpick: when it comes out clean, take the pans out of the oven. Let cool for 15 minutes and then remove the layers from the pans. Line the pans with new circles of parchment paper and bake the rest of the batter.
- Let all the layers (3 or 4) cool until room temperature before assembling the cake.
Chocolate Ganache:
- Break the chocolate into small pieces and place it in a heatproof bowl.
- In a small saucepan heat the cream together with the sweetener until it starts simmering. Pour it on top of the chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes and then start whisking, until the mixture becomes smooth.
- Let the ganache cool until room temperature, whisking from time to time. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Beat the cold ganache with an electric mixer at a high speed until fluffy.
To assemble the cake:
- Place one walnut layer on a serving plate and cover it generously with ganache. Place another layer on top. Continue the process until all layers are used. Leave about ⅓ of the ganache to frost the cake all around.
- Decorate with chopped walnuts and chocolate. Alternatively leave aside some ganache to pipe on top.
Notes
- Store the cake for up to 4 days in the fridge, covered.
- Instead of coconut flour you can use 30 g/ ¼ cup starch or all-purpose flour (for a high-carb version only)
- For a keto version: when choosing chocolate for this recipe, check the carb content on the package. Use only chocolate with not more than 10-15% of carbohydrates as otherwise the dessert might not be keto friendly.
Мима Ташева says
Здравейте,къде мога да намеря ксилитол ??
Daniela says
Здравейте! Има го основно в био магазините. Поръчвала съм го и от онлайн платформата ebag, но тя май е само за София и околностите.