Recipe: Coffee cake with hazelnuts

Coffee cake with hazelnuts

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 225g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 225g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 225ml corn oil
• 2 eggs, separated
• 75ml buttermilk
• 2 tsp instant coffee granules
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts
• 50g dark chocolate, melted, cooled
• 300ml thickened cream
• 100ml mascarpone
• 2 tbs icing sugar, sifted
• 2 tsp coffee & chicory essence*

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line two 20cm round cake pans. Sift flour, baking powder and caster sugar in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat together oil, egg yolks and buttermilk. Mix together coffee and 1 tablespoon boiling water, add to liquid ingredients, then combine with dry ingredients. Whisk eggwhites until soft peaks form, then fold a little into cake mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining eggwhites. Divide between pans and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool, then turn out onto a wire rack.
2. Place hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast for 5 minutes. Remove, tip nuts into a tea towel, then rub to remove skins. Dip one side of nuts in melted chocolate, place on a rack to set.
3. Beat cream, mascarpone and icing sugar in a bowl until thick, add essence and beat to just combine. Spread one of the cakes with half the coffee cream, then top with other cake. Spread remaining cream on top and decorate with nuts.

Source: Coffee cake with hazelnuts

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