My mother has always loved Bahali cake, but she used to buy it from stores. As someone who enjoys baking, I wanted to find a fragrant cake recipe. Finally, I discovered one on Douyin (TikTok) and tried it. The taste was just as good as store-bought versions. Now, I’m sharing it with you. According to the Douyin creator (username: Nana’s Exotic Food Journey), this is a traditional Xinjiang Bahali cake. It doesn’t include raisins—only pure walnuts. If you prefer raisins, you can add them yourself.
Ingredients: – 5 eggs – 175g sugar – 5g baking soda – 150g flavorless vegetable oil – 200g honey – 150–170g walnuts – 75ml room-temperature water – 325g flour Preparation: 1. Slice about 50g of walnuts and chop the rest into small pieces. 2. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) for 10 minutes. 3. In a clean, deep, oil-free, and water-free bowl, beat the eggs with sugar and baking soda. Key step: Beat at medium-high speed for 25 minutes continuously. The Douyin creator mentioned this is the secret to the cake’s fluffy texture. A stand mixer is ideal, but if using a hand mixer, sit down—it’s tiring! 4. After beating, the mixture should resemble whipped cream. Add 200g honey (preferably dark honey, which gives the cake its chocolate color—Bahali doesn’t use cocoa powder). 5. Add vegetable oil. For an authentic Xinjiang twist, you can use lamb fat if preferred, though I stuck to vegetable oil. 6. Mix the honey and oil with the egg mixture for about 1 minute until it turns darker. 7. Add 75ml room-temperature water and the chopped walnuts. Mix well. 8. Sift in 325g flour (regular flour works; no need for cake flour). Fold gently with a spatula using a cross-cutting motion until no dry flour or lumps remain. 9. Pour the batter into a baking pan, tap lightly to remove air bubbles, and quickly sprinkle the sliced walnuts on top (they’ll sink if you’re slow). 10. Bake in the preheated oven at 160°C (320°F) for 50 minutes on the middle-lower rack. Adjust time based on your oven—check with a skewer; if it comes out clean, it’s done. 11. Let the cake cool before slicing and serving.
