Festive Hazelnut Coffee Cake Recipes

CARAMEL-DIPPED HAZELNUT SPIKES

Steps:

• Prepare an ice bath and place next to the stove. Place a heavy cutting board at the edge of the counter with a piece of parchment or newspaper on the floor directly below. Insert a long wooden skewer in each hazelnut.
• Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Place a small metal bowl over the top to prevent crystals from forming. Boil until thickened and medium amber in color, about 12 minutes.
• Place the pan in the ice bath to thicken the caramel, about 3 minutes. Working quickly, dip each hazelnut into the caramel: if it's cool enough, it will form a thick string that will drip down from the hazelnut. Place the end of the skewer under the cutting board to hold it in place so the drip can harden.
• When the caramel has cooled, use scissors to trim the end, if desired. Remove the nuts from the skewers. If it's humid, serve immediately; otherwise, they can hold for up to 3 hours.

HAZELNUT COFFEE CAKE WITH MASCARPONE ICING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180 ° C. Grease and line two 15cm round spring-form cake pans.
• In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.
• Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla essence.
• Next, add the eggs one at a time, beat until well combined.
• Stir in half of the dry ingredients and the milk; once it's well incorporated add in the remaining half.
• Add the instant coffee and hazelnut meal and stir until well combined.
• Pour cake mixture into the prepared pans and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted.
• Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream, vanilla essence until pale and fluffy. Then beat in the mascarpone being cautious not to over whisk.
• Place one third of the mascarpone cream into a separate bowl and stir in cocoa.
• Cut each cake in half to create four layers. Next, fill one piping bag with a star-shaped nozzle with the vanilla mascarpone cream and another piping bag (with a star-shaped nozzle) with the chocolate mascarpone cream. Starting from the outside edge, pipe filling onto cake layer until completely covered (alternate between the two fillings but mainly stick to the vanilla mascarpone).
• Before placing on the next cake layer, scatter fresh chopped berries, cacao nibs, hazelnut and drizzle with roughly 1 tbs of chocolate sauce over the filling.
• Once the layers are assembled, adorn the top of the cake with the remaining hazelnut, cacao nibs, fresh berries and grated dark chocolate. Add edible gold dust to the top of your cake to give it an extra element of elegance.

COCOA-SWIRL COFFEE CAKE WITH HAZELNUT CRUMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until fragrant and golden brown and skins are loosened. Rub nuts in a clean kitchen towel to remove skins, then coarsely chop.
• Brush a 9-by-2-inch square cake pan with butter. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Butter parchment, then dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using your fingers, work butter into mixture until it has the texture of coarse meal. Remove and reserve 2/3 cup of mixture.
• Make a well in center of remaining mixture in bowl and add eggs, whisking to break up, then add yogurt and vanilla. Whisk to combine into a batter (you might see some small specks of butter; that's okay). Scrape about three-quarters of batter into prepared pan, then whisk cocoa into remaining batter. Dollop evenly over top and swirl with a toothpick or skewer.
• Return reserved flour-butter mixture to bowl and stir in hazelnuts until a granola-like mixture forms. Sprinkle over top of batter in pan, squeezing to create clumps. Bake until top of cake springs back when lightly pressed, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes.
• Using overhangs, lift out of pan and transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Cut into 12 squares. Cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

FESTIVE FRUIT & NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C and lightly grease and line the base and sides of a deep 22-23cm round loose-based cake tin with Bake-o-Glide or baking parchment (see overleaf). Beat the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, ground almonds and spices until thoroughly mixed and creamy, preferably with an electric beater or in a food mixer.
• Measure off 100g/4oz of the cake mixture, put in a bowl and set aside. Fold the fruit and rum into the remaining mixture, then gently stir in the marzipan. Spoon this mixture into the prepared cake tin and flatten with a spatula to make a smooth even surface, then make a slight dip in the centre of the cake. This simple trick will give the finished cake a nice flat top. Bake for 11⁄4 hours.
• While the cake is in the oven, make the fruit and nut topping. Mix all the nuts, cherries and syrup into the remaining cake mixture (see tip overleaf). Spoon the mixture on top of the part-cooked cake (once it has had its 11⁄4 hours), evenly distributing the mixture of nuts and cherries across the surface of the cake. Loosely cover the top of the tin with foil.
• Return to the oven for 40 minutes more, then take off the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, so the nuts can turn golden. Keep an eye on them, so they don't get too dark. To test the cake mixture is cooked, insert a fine skewer into the cake - if it comes out clean then it's ready. Cool in the tin then turn out, keeping the lining on, and wrap with foil. (The cake will keep for up to 2 weeks or can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
• To serve, remove the cake from the foil and strip away the lining. Place on a board or serving plate and tie with a decorative ribbon.