Hazelnut Cake Recipe
by Ursula Ferrigno
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Easy
Hazelnuts are probably the most favoured nuts in Italy. They are used in many biscuits and cakes, and Frangelico – a hazelnut liqueur sold in a friar-shaped bottle – is a great hit with all who try it. This cake is a classic from Piedmont, at the foot of the mountains. I like to think that hazelnuts create a source of energy for the farmers there during the autumn and winter, as they never seem to stop at that time of year: hazelnuts are harvested in august and vendemmia (grape harvest) is immediately after, followed by the olive harvest.
This recipe is extracted from Dolci Italiani by Ursula Ferrigno, published by Ryland Peters & Small (£22). Photography by Clare Winfield © Ryland Peters & Small
Ingredients for the hazelnut cake Serves: 6
- 300g hazelnuts
- 200g Italian 00 flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- 150g golden caster sugar
- 100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 3 & a half tablespoons cold Italian espresso coffee
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 tablespoons light rum
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 amaretti cookies, crushed
- icing sugar, for dusting
- crème fraîche, to serve
- 23-cm/9-inch cake pan, greased and lined
Method for hazelnut cake
- Spread the hazelnuts out on a baking sheet and toast them in the preheated oven for 10 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool completely. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the toasted hazelnuts for decoration, then finely grind the rest in a food processor.
- Sift the flour and baking powder together.
- Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl for 1 minute using an electric mixer on high speed. Switch the speed to low and blend in the melted butter, coff ee, milk, rum, olive oil and vanilla.
- When well blended, stir in the ground hazelnuts and amaretti biscuits. Add the flour to the mixture and gently fold in.
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Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for about 40–45 minutes. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar, top with the reserved hazelnuts and serve with crème fraîche if desired.
About the author
Ursula Ferrigno, a talented cook and food writer from Italy's Amalfi Coast, learned to cook from her grandmother. She writes for Taste Italia, American Gourmet, Olive, and BBC Good Food. Ursula also teaches baking, specializing in breads like ciabatta, focaccia, and stromboli.
