Aren’t homemade cakes made to your preference the best? This moist mini tea cake is one such recipe that everyone will love. Chocolate chips are not only for cookies; you can add them to cakes, too.
What’s so special about this mini chocolate chip and walnut cake
You don’t need any fancy equipment to prepare the cake batter. You only need a bowl and hand whisk to prepare the cake batter. You can roast the walnuts either in the oven or on the stovetop. You will enjoy the walnut and chocolate chip flavors in every bite. I have used wheat flour, and it’s an oil-based cake, so it’s moist and soft. You don’t need to worry about dense texture. Also, this measure yields mini cake, making portion control easy.
Ingredients required
Butter and walnuts: We need raw and unsalted walnuts for this cake. We toast them in butter for added flavor. So, I highly recommend unsalted and raw nuts. Yogurt & milk – I am using yogurt as my main egg replacement, and we need milk to get the cake batter consistency. Sugar – I have used raw sugar here, not powdered sugar. Leavening agents: This cake needs both baking powder and baking soda. Ensure they are fresh and not expired. Wheat flour – I have used store-bought wheat flour, which is non-organic. Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Along with nuts, we also need chocolate chips, and I used semi-sweet ones. Last but not least, we need vanilla essence for enhanced flavor. PS – Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature, and for exact measurements, please check the recipe card.
Substitutions & Variations
Instead of wheat flour, you can use all-purpose flour. Reduce the milk measure to 2 tbsps; the rest stays the same. Instead of walnuts, you can use pecans, macadamia nuts, or a mix of two or three nuts. I haven’t tried this cake with any other nuts. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can also use white or dark chocolate chips. I have used ½ cup of walnuts, but you can reduce it to ⅓ cup and chop it finely for a more spongy textured cake. Instead of vanilla essence, you can use other flavors like butterscotch or cinnamon.
Storage suggestions
You can store this cake for up to 3 days in an air-tight container at room temperature. You can also refrigerate the cake. As it’s a mini loaf, trust me, this cake will be gone in no time. :-)
How to make mini eggless chocolate chip and walnut cake
Preheat the oven and prep the pan.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a cake pan, line it with parchment paper, and set aside. For this mini cake, I used a square pan with dimensions 6X6X2.
Toast the walnuts
Heat a pan or kadai and melt the butter. When the butter is melted and hot, add the chopped walnuts.
Toast them over medium-low heat for 4 to 5 minutes until they are toasted and fragrant and turn off. Let it cool completely before adding it to the cake batter.
Prepare the cake batter & bake.
Add the yogurt and sugar to a wide bowl and whisk them together. Make sure that you incorporate the sugar well. Now add the baking powder and baking soda.
Mix them and let them sit for 5 minutes. This rest time helps in emulsification.
Add the vanilla extract and whisk again.
Now, slowly pour the oil and whisk the mixture.
Here is the wet mixture after adding oil.
Sieve the wheat flour into this wet mix and combine gently.
Add 2 to 3 tbsps of milk as needed. Some wheat flour might need entire 4 tbsps of milk, but if you use refined or all-purpose flour, you need only 2 tbsps of milk.
Make sure there aren’t any lumps and the batter is smooth.
Now add butter, roasted walnuts, and chopped chocolate chips.
Gently fold them into the cake batter.
Pour this cake batter into the cake pan and spread it evenly. Place the chocolate chips on top like below or in your preferred pattern.
Tap it twice so that the mixture settles. Bake the cake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean. Let it cool for 15 min. Slowly remove the cake from the pan. Slice them into squares and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
Every oven is different, and timing might differ between convection and conventional oven, the rack position, etc. Ensure you bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Instead of a square pan, you can use a round pan or loaf pan to bake the cake. If you chop the walnuts big, the cake might be crumbly, so chop them into small pieces. As the cake cools down, it sets well. Ensure you slice the cake after it has completely cooled down. Make sure to use unsalted nuts. For substitutions, please check the substitutions section on the post.
More eggless cakes
If you are looking for eggless cakes, I have got you covered. Check out some of my popular eggless cake recipes here.
📖 Recipe
PS: If you try this eggless chocolate chip & walnut cake, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. Please comment if you have any questions, and I will get to it ASAP. You can also sign up for my newsletter for weekly updates, check out my meal planner journal, and order one for yourself. :-)
