Hazelnut Cake

[W.DeBord]

Wrap while warm and freeze for a couple days.....I swear it works well.

[momoreg]

Here's the recipe I use, and I'm not sure of its origin, but I think it may be from the CIA:

13 oz. almond paste
1 lb. yolks
11 oz. sugar
4 oz. water
salt

1 lb. 8 oz. whites
13 oz. sugar

Process together:
2 lb. 4 oz. hazelnuts, finely ground
13 oz. bread flour

Cream alm. paste, sugar, water, salt. Slowly add yolks.

Make stiff meringue with whites and sugar. Fold into almond paste mixture simultaneously with hazelnut/flour mixture.

Greased pan with parchment.

[Mezzaluna]

Mmmmm! Momo, have I eaten this cake?

[Spoons]

Thanks Momoreg,
It sounds heavenly.
I would like to use hazelnut flour as a substitution.
What would be the amount to use?
I really appreciate that you posted this recipe.

[momoreg]

Yes, Mezz., that would be the one .

Hazelnut flour will probably produce a drier product, but you can substitute it pound for pound for the hazelnuts. Maybe try omitting 2 oz. of flour. I once reduced the flour in this recipe by accident , and the results were still good.

[Anna W.]

Spoons- I've tried it with cake flour and all purpose and I like the all purpose better. I have also tried not wrapping his cakes and they are just not the same.

[Risa]

Made a different sort of hazelnut cake for a bridal shower. I did two layers of plain genoise soaked in Frangelico syrup with a hazelnut dacqoise in between the two cake layers. I iced the cake with an orange blossom buttercream. I was going to just pipe a simple design and put a couple of meringue swans on top, but I got too lazy and didn't feel like making the swans last night. I only have the basic decorating tips and am very out of practice, but I think it turned out ok. We're having the cake at lunch today, so no taste test yet.

[Anneke]

Wow! Risa you're very talented!!!

[Risa]

I don't think I'm very talented but thank you. If I was really talented, I'd turn professional. Definitely just an enthusiastic amateur with lots of patience and cold hands (makes it easier to work with buttercream and other temperature sensitive elements).

The cake tasted quite good except the buttercream was a bit cloyingly sweet. I'm just not used to eating buttercream. I usually use ganache, cream cheese or whipped cream and I almost wish I had chosen one of those instead. The dacquoise was yummy, but made slicing very messy.

[Isa]

Wonderful cake Risa. I love what you did on the side.

[Kimmie]

You should be proud Risa. It's a lovely cake!

[Spoons]

Momoreg,
I tried your hazelnut cake last week.
It came out great. Did not use hazelnut flour.
Made it with praline buttercream and smear of apricot puree. Unfortunately my husband doesn't like almond flavoring.
Anything almond paste he won't eat.
Oh well.
I just tried another hazelnut cake from The Baker's Dozen from Flo Braker. A butter type cake, but with lots of hazelnut flavor. Nice! Paired it with mocha buttercream.
Thanks again Momoreg.

[momoreg]

Sure thing.

mmmmm...hazelnut and mocha....

[angrychef]

Spoons, I just tried the hazelnut chiffon cake from the Spago chocolate book. Very good, but just a tad to sweet for me. I decreased the sugar a bit and I folded some grated bittersweet chocolate along with the ground hazelnuts. Looks and tastes good.

[Spoons]

Hi Angrychef,
You know I tried that one too, awhile ago.
Where was the water in this chiffon?
My batter was a bit too thick to incorporate the egg whites. I chucked it. I must've overlooked something.
Thanks Angry.