Pellegrino Artusi, in his book “Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well” talks about the “Gateau a la noisette”, an extraordinary cake made with hazelnuts and almonds, so good that, according to the author, it deserved a grand name. Artusi was right about the goodness of this cake. Today, I will also talk to you about this fragrant and delicious cake, but I warn you, I made only one modification: I used only hazelnuts; that’s why I called it Hazelnut Cake by Pellegrino Artusi, because, although slightly, it is not entirely faithful to the original. It is a gluten-free, yeast-free cake, very easy to make, whose process resembles that of the “genoise sponge.” It is so soft that it can be enjoyed plain, without needing to be soaked, filled, or accompanied by creams and sauces. It has a compact yet soft structure and crumb, almost melting in the mouth. To fully enjoy the aromas and flavors of this cake, I recommend preparing it at least a day in advance.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 medium eggs
- 6 oz granulated sugar
- 3.5 oz chopped hazelnuts
- 4.5 oz fine white rice flour
- 3.4 oz melted lukewarm butter (also lactose-free)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 0.07 oz fine salt
- as needed Butter and rice flour for the mold
- 1.7 oz cold whipping cream (also lactose-free)
- 0.9 oz hazelnut crumbs
Steps
Some tips before starting.
– Leave the eggs out of the fridge at least an hour before (if the room temperature is too high, take them out 30 minutes before starting to make the cake).
– We can use whole or chopped toasted hazelnuts. It’s important they are toasted to give the cake its characteristic flavor and aroma.
– To prevent the hazelnuts from releasing oil and becoming a paste, besides adding sugar, I would recommend chopping them before blending, to reduce the time in the blender and avoid overheating, and keeping them in the fridge for half an hour before using.
Let’s prepare the cake
Butter and flour a 9.5-inch springform pan.
Break the eggs into a large bowl or a mixer and beat them for 15 minutes with an electric whisk at maximum speed with only 3.5 oz of granulated sugar and the vanilla.
Preheat the oven to 338°F.
It is crucial that the oven has reached the proper temperature when the cake is introduced, as the hazelnut cake contains no leavening agent, and the air incorporated in the egg and sugar mixture will cause it to rise.
Meanwhile, while the eggs and sugar mix to a cream, blend the hazelnut crumbs into a powder, together with the remaining 2.5 oz of sugar required by this recipe; you should obtain a sort of flour.
Melt the butter, cut into pieces, over a low flame and let it cool for about five minutes before adding it to the egg and sugar mixture.
In a bowl, sift the rice flour, add the hazelnut flour, fine salt, and mix them together.
After 15 minutes, when the eggs and sugar have become a swollen, creamy, and frothy mass, tripling the starting volume, turn off the electric whisk and add the flours, incorporating them into the egg and sugar mixture in three parts and folding them gently by hand (with a spatula or steel whisk) with a movement from bottom to top, almost drawing an imaginary circle.
Lastly, we will add the melted, lukewarm butter in three parts, always gently folding from bottom to top.
Immediately pour the mixture into the pan and bake in a static oven at mid-height for about 25 – 30 minutes at most, depending on your oven type.
To check if it’s fully baked, pierce the hazelnut cake with a long skewer; it should come out clean.
Turn off and immediately remove the cake from the oven. Let it settle for about 60 minutes, then take it out of the mold and place it on a serving plate.
You can enjoy it as it is, with a dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder on top; or decorate it as I did.
Decoration
Whip the cold cream from the fridge to stiff peaks, adding, if desired, some grated orange zest.
Brush a tiny amount of whipped cream on the cake surface (this way, the hazelnut crumbs won’t slip off) and decorate the cake with dollops of cream and plenty of hazelnut crumbs.
An extra idea. Besides vanilla, as in the original recipe, you can flavor the hazelnut cake with a teaspoon of “Strega” liqueur added to the melted butter; or finely grated orange and lemon zest or cinnamon powder added to the eggs and sugar while they cream.
Bon appetit
