Jules was home this weekend, and we finally celebrated her birthday! For the occasion, I baked this Hazelnut and Chocolate Cake, the beautifully soft nutty crumb delectably enhanced by a luscious icing. She loved it, and had several helpings; the only compliment a baker needs! If it rose to the (grand) occasion, it is just as nice with a cuppa on any given day! Happy Wednesday!

Ingredients (serves 8 to 10):

3/4 cup hazelnuts

2 cups plain flour

1/3 cup caster sugar

1 tablespoon Vanilla Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 large eggs

1/3 cup Almond Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 tablespoons caster sugar

a dozen hazelnuts

130 grams/ounces good quality dark chocolate (at least 80% cocoa)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 heaped tablespoons Chocolate and Hazelnut Spread 

Butter and line two 20-centimetre/8” round cake tins; set aside.

Toast hazelnuts in a frying pan until fragrant, and just browning. Remove from the heat, and allow them to cool slightly before whizzing in a food processor. Process toasted hazelnuts until coarsely ground.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, ground hazelnuts, caster sugar, Vanilla Sugar and baking powder. Give a good stir; set aside.

Preheat oven to 165°C/330°F.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over a low flame. Once melted, remove from the heat.

Dig a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients. Break in two of the eggs.

Separate whites from the yolks of the three remaining eggs. Place whites in a medium bowl, and yolks in the well, alongside whole eggs.

Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt, with an electric mixer until stiff peaks just start forming; set aside.

In the larger bowl, thoroughly stir eggs and flour mixture together with a wooden spoon, gradually adding Almond Milk until it comes together. Add melted butter and Vanilla Extract until just blended. Finally, gently fold in egg whites, making sure no white streak remains.

Divide batter between prepared cake tins, and place in the middle of the hot oven.

Bake, at 165°C/°F, 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the sponges comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and let cool, 5 minutes, before removing from the tins. Let hazelnut sponges cool completely.

Heat caster sugar in a small frying pan over a medium flame until it dissolves into a light brown caramel. Add hazelnuts, tossing the pan to coat them well in caramel. Remove from the heat, and spoon caramelised hazelnuts onto a small piece of baking paper. Allow them to cool completely and harden.

In a medium bowl fitted over a small saucepan of simmering water, melt dark chocolate with butter until smooth and shiny. Remove from the heat, and energetically stir in Chocolate and Hazelnut Spread.

Then, start assembling the cake. Place one of the hazelnut sponges, flat-side up, onto serving plate. Generously spread half of the Chocolate and Hazlenut Icing, in an even layer, all over the sponge. Gently but firmly press second hazelnut sponge on top, and generously ice with remaining Chocolate and Hazlenut Icing. Decorate with caramelised hazelnuts.

Serve Hazelnut and Chocolate Cake with chilled Champagne or sweet white wine, like Bonnezeaux, or a hot cup of tea or coffee.

This Thanksgiving, I am also baking a cake. Not just any cake, though! A moist and light Maple Pear and Hazelnut Cake that celebrates this year's harvest in the garden, and is a delicious mouthful of Autumn comfort! Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

Ingredients (6 to 8):

1 ½ tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup hazelnuts

1 cup Pears in Whisky Syrup + 1/4 cup of the Whisky Syrup 

2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup caster sugar

4 eggs

1/3 cup hazelnut milk

1/4 cup pure (Grade A) Canadian Maple Syrup

Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F. Butter a 20cm/8” cake tin; set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt butter over a low flame. Once melted, remove from the heat. Set aside.

Toast hazelnuts in a small frying pan over a high flame, a few minutes until just fragrant. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Save four beautiful Pear halves, and place them, cut side down at the bottom of prepared cake tin. Dice the rest of the Pear halves; set aside.

Blitz toasted hazelnuts in a food processor, until you have a fine enough powder (resembling coarse meal).

In a large bowl, combine flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and caster sugar. Give a good stir with a wooden spoon.

Dig a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and break in the eggs. Give a good and gentle stir, gradually adding hazelnut milk, melted butter, Maple Syrup and Whisky Syrup until just combined.

Then, gently fold in Diced Pears, until just combined.

Gently spoon batter evenly over the Pear halves. Place cake tin in the middle of the oven, and bake, at 160°C/320°F, 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven, and allow to cool in the tin, about 15 minutes, before turning out onto serving plate.

Generously brush with Maple Syrup.

I’ve often heard that hazelnut and lemon pair surprisingly well, but I had yet to try the combo. Since I’ve taken a few days off for Easter and that my little holiday starts tonight I thought I might begin it with a treat. And as I’ve already eaten one of these Hazelnut and Lemon Biscuits, I can confirm this is a happy marriage. They make excellent Spring bikkies!

Ingredients (makes a dozen):

1/2 cup hazelnuts

75 grams/ ounces unsalted butter, softened

½ cup demerara sugar

1/2 teaspoon Homemade Vanilla Extract

3/4 cup plain flour

Limoncello Lemon Curd

Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add hazelnuts, and toast, shaking the pan often until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool.

In a large bowl, cream softened butter with demerara sugar with a wooden spoon until pale brown and fluffy. Stir in Vanilla Extract. Set aside.

Place toasted hazelnuts in a food processor, and process until finely ground. Stir in flour.

Stir hazelnut and flour mixture into creamed butter and sugar until just combined and mixture comes together in a ball. Flatten into a disc and wrap in cling film. Chill in the refrigerator, a couple of hours.

Preheat oven to 180°C/355°F. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

On a surface lightly dusted with flour, gently roll out hazelnut dough thinly. Using a small fluted cookie cutter, cut out 24 biscuits and place onto prepared baking tray; place in the warm oven. Bake, at 180°C/355°F, 18 minutes or until biscuits are just a nice golden brown colour. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Once cooled, pair hazelnut biscuits by size and shape. Spoon a teaspoon Limoncello Lemon Curd onto the base of one, and gently press the other on top, to sandwich. Repeat until you have a dozen.