Hazelnut cake with instant coffee cream

Name: Hazelnut cake with instant coffee cream
Ingredients: 350 g hazelnuts; 6 egg whites; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 4 egg yolks; 280 g granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons flour; 250 g butter with 85% fat; 130 g confectioners’ sugar; 2 egg yolks; 2 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee; 50 g hazelnuts; 100 g hazelnuts; 100 g Dr. Oetker dark chocolate

Dessert - Hazelnut cake with instant coffee cream by Speranta B. - Recipia

Hazelnut cake with instant coffee cream has a light sponge and a thick layer of cream with crunchy pieces of hazelnut. The dark chocolate on top completes a dessert with different textures, from the delicate sponge to the rich cream. I prefer the hazelnuts finely ground, so there aren’t any large pieces left in the sponge. Prep: 30 minutes. Cooking: 38 minutes. Resting: 80 minutes. Total time: 148 minutes. Servings: 12. Approximately 560 kcal and 8 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the sponge

350 g hazelnuts
6 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
280 g granulated sugar
2 tablespoons flour

For the cream

250 g butter with 85% fat
130 g confectioners’ sugar
2 egg yolks
2 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee
50 g hazelnuts
100 g hazelnuts

For the topping

100 g Dr. Oetker dark chocolate

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 175 °C. Spread the 350 g of hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast them for 10 minutes, until you can smell the toasted hazelnuts. Rub them in a tea towel to remove the papery skins. 2. Separate the 6 egg whites from the yolks and beat them with 1/8 teaspoon of salt until you have a firm foam with peaks that hold their shape. 3. Mix the 4 egg yolks with 280 g of granulated sugar until the mixture is pale and the sugar has dissolved. 4. Finely grind 200 g of hazelnuts. Sift 2 tablespoons of flour over the egg yolk mixture and fold in the ground hazelnuts, then the egg whites, gently lifting from the bottom. 5. Line a 28 × 20 cm baking pan with parchment paper and pour in the mixture. Bake for 25 minutes at 175 °C, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave the sponge to cool for 60 minutes. 6. Trim the edges of the sponge with a knife and crumble them. Coarsely chop 50 g of hazelnuts and finely grind the other 100 g. 7. Beat 250 g of room-temperature butter with 130 g of confectioners’ sugar and the 2 egg yolks until the mixture is fluffy. Fold in 2 1/2 teaspoons of instant coffee, the chopped and ground hazelnuts, then the crumbled edges. 8. Place the sponge on a serving platter and spread the cream on top. Melt 100 g of Dr. Oetker dark chocolate in a double boiler for about 3 minutes, until fluid, then spread it over the cream. Leave the cake for 20 minutes, then cut it into portions with a knife dipped in hot water.

Notes

You can swap the 350 g of hazelnuts for 350 g of walnuts; the cake contains eggs and dairy, and the flour contains gluten. A slice goes well with black coffee; I take mine out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving so the butter in the cream isn’t too firm. Keep it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Grind the hazelnuts in short bursts and stop when they’re fine crumbs; if you process them for too long, their oil will turn them into a paste. After roasting, rub the nuts in a tea towel while they’re still slightly warm so the papery skins come off more easily. The 28 × 20 cm pan makes a thin sponge, a bit like a nut sponge cake, but the cream makes it more substantial.