“Recently, I discovered The Worlds’ Best Cake — a lovely vanilla affair with whipped cream, meringue, and almonds. Ever since I made this soft, chewy, crisp, crunchy, and billowy cake, I’ve been pondering variations on the theme. This is the Walnut Variation: coffee-flavored cake, cinnamon meringue, toasted walnuts, and maple vanilla whipped cream.” – Aliwaks