Hazelnut Cream Cake
Hazelnut Cream Cake – Haselnuß-Sahne Torte
The original Hazelnut Cream Cake is a sponge cake combined with whipped cream and ground hazelnuts. A good substitute for hazelnuts is almonds. The cake has as well a layer of chocolate nougat.
Ingredients for the Hazelnut Cream Cake:
- 6 egg yolks, XL
- 6 tablespoons of hot water
- 200 g (7.05 oz) of sugar
- 1 pouch of vanilla sugar OR 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 125 g (4.4 oz) of ground hazelnuts OR ground almonds
- 100 g (3.52 oz) of all-purpose flour
- 50 g (1.76 oz) of Gustin OR potato starch OR cornstarch
- 1 pouch of baking powder OR 3 teaspoons of baking powder
- 6 egg whites, XL
- pinch of salt
Fuellung
- 800 ml (1.69 pt) of heavy whipping cream
- 4 pouches of whip-it OR 4 tablespoons of instant vanilla pudding powder
- 4 Tablespoons of sugar
- 125 g (4.4 oz) of ground hazelnuts OR almonds, roasted
- 200 g (7.05 oz) chocolate nougat OR Nutella (you can make your own chocolate nougat using my recipe here)
Decoration:
- 80 g-100 g (2.82 oz- 3.52 oz) of chopped or ground pistachios OR hazelnuts OR almonds
- 6 tablespoons of whipped cream without nuts
- 12 whole hazelnuts or almonds OR pistachios
- chocolate, shaped (optional)
Preparation of the batter for the Hazelnut Cream Cake
Mix the egg yolks with the hot water and beat with a handheld mixer until frothy. Slowly add the sugar mixed with the vanilla flavor and continue mixing until creamy. Mix the flour, starch, and baking powder, sift over the egg mixture and spread the hazelnuts on top of the flour mix. Fold both into the eggs using a whisk or dough blender.
Add the salt to the egg whites and beat until stiff and add to the mixing bowl. Fold the egg whites into the batter.
Pour the dough into a springform pan 26 cm – 28 cm (10 in – 11 in) covered on the bottom and sides with baking paper. The paper on the sides should cover the upper edge of the baking pan.
Place the cake immediately in the preheated oven on the third rack (middle-rack) and bake for 40 – 45 minutes at 175°C- 180°C (350°F – 360°F).
In the meantime, fry the ground hazelnuts for the whipping cream. Heat a pan and add the nuts. Fry for about 3-4 minutes while continually stirring with a cooking spoon. Take the pan off the stove, and continue stirring for 2-3 minutes while folding the nuts until the color is lightly changing. Fold from the sides to the center to make sure that the ground nuts don’t get too dark. Let it cool down.
After baking, place the cake on a cooling rack with the side from the pan’s bottom on top.
Cut the cake twice using a sharp knife or cake cutter. Before taking the cake apart, place toothpicks in each layer to mark the center. It makes it easier to place the layers back after filling.
Preparation of the whipping cream and nougat
To make the nougat spreadable, warm it up in a bain-marie (Wasserbad) until it softens. Let cool down.
Beat the whipping cream using a handheld mixer and add the stabilizer and sugar. Take 6 tablespoons of the whipped cream and fill in a container to decorate the top later. Place aside. Add the roasted, cold nuts to the rest of the whipped cream and mix until combined with the cream.
Filling and decoration of the cake:
I use a cake decorating turntable to finish the cake. Divide the whipped cream mixture and use ⅓ for the first layer, ⅓ for the second layer, and ⅓ for the top and sides. Spread the chocolate nougat or Nutella onto the first layer of the cake before spreading the cream.
Add the second layer, lining up the toothpicks and spread the cream on it. Add the top layer and remove the toothpicks. Spread the rest of the cream, starting with the sides and last the top using a spatula.
To apply the nuts on the side, make a line of nuts close around the cake. Pick up the nuts with a spatula and apply to the sides from bottom to top. To mark 12 slices of the cake, use a cake divider or a knife. Place the cake for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before decorating the top.
Transfer the cake onto a serving plate before decorating the top. Decorate the top with the 6 tablespoons of the saved whipped cream using a decorating bag and different sizes of tips. Finally, add the whole hazelnuts and chocolate decoration.
To make the Black Forest Cake click here and the Frankfurter Kranz, click here.