A rich cake made from acorns, maple syrup and eggs. Inspired by traditional uses of chestnut flour. a dense cake made with nothing more than acorn flour, eggs, maple syrup, and a little bit of technique.
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT30M
Total time: PT50M
Rating
5 stars (10 reviews)
Keywords
Acorn
Ingredients
1 tablespoon maple or white sugar (for dusting the pan)
5 ounces1 cup (140 g acorn flour, finely ground and sifted)
1 cup 240 ml water
4 ounces 115 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
1 cup 240 ml maple syrup
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or wild vanilla extract, the recipe for this is in my book)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Categories
Dessert
Cuisine
American
Steps
Butter an 8-9in (20-22cm) springform pan, then sprinkle with maple sugar.
Toast the acorn flour lightly in a skillet or oven until just beginning to darken—don’t allow it to burn—then set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, mix the water, butter, and maple syrup and bring to a boil, then add the toasted acorn flour and cook just until it thickens and resembles soft polenta. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover it with cling film, and cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Mix the cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.
In a stand mixer, beat the eggs until light-colored with a whisk, add the vanilla and cinnamon mix, then gradually add the acorn paste.
Mix until combined, then beat the mixture for another minute or two until you get a fluffy batter.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until just barely cooked through.
The cooking here is just like baking a cheesecake. if the middle if puffed and upright, it’s overdone and could potentially taste dry. Tap the side of the pan to check the doneness, it should move as one like a custard.
When in doubt, underbake it slightly, as it will continue to cook with the residual heat as it cools. The texture should be smooth, a little reminiscent of a flourless chocolate torte, but with slightly more texture.
Serve with whipped crème fraiche, whipped cream, or sour cream. The cake will keep, covered and refrigerated, for 3-4 days.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 130 kcal
Carbohydrates: 15 g
Protein: 2 g
Fat: 7 g
Saturated Fat: 4 g
Trans Fat: 0.2 g
Cholesterol: 66 mg
Sodium: 131 mg
Sugar: 13 g
Unsaturated Fat: 2.5 g
Reviews
Emily R on 2026-04-05 (5 stars): I made this a few years ago when the local oaks had a mast crop, and it was absolutely incredible. A dollop of whipped cream and a caramel sauce drizzle takes it over the top, everyone at thanksgiving raved about it. I'm waiting with bated breath for the oaks around here to pop off again!
Lorenzo on 2025-01-19 (5 stars): For real such a cool recipe dude. Thanks for all the work you do
Jess on 2024-11-22 (5 stars): Wow, this is so good!! My first acorn flour recipe, and it was totally worth all that hard earned acorn flour!
Anne on 2024-01-10 (5 stars): Very lovely and special desert! Amazing aroma of acorn (walking in an oak forest and crushing the acorns) whilst cooking. A lot of work to process acorns, but easy recipe and very tasty!
Susan Conner on 2023-11-29 (5 stars): The acorn flour I made was more like a powder than a flour. 4 ounces was more like 3 cups! So, I went with the weight. The resulting soft polenta seemed correct. I also substituted about 1/3 of the water with a good bourbon (seemed appropriate for Thanksgiving). Bake time was appropriate. It turned out well! Some people swore it was a chocolate torte. Thanks for the recipe!
Jen Swenson on 2023-02-18 (5 stars): This turned out beautifully! I substituted a bit of rum in for the water which rounded out the flavor nicely. Note: it takes a bit of time to cook down the water/syrup/butter mix- it thickened but i didn't get anywhere close to a 'paste' but the cake was perfect.
