I wish I had a grand old tale about how grandma and I made this cake together back in the days, but sadly, I barely remember my grandma. If we had had more time together though, I’m sure we would have baked some version of a hazelnut cake together. I certainly saw old recipes floating around in my childhood.
It’s such a classic. Nothing fancy, but nice and juicy, with a very deep hazelnut flavour. Best served with tea, or even better a hot chocolate on a cold winter’s night.
You will need these ingredients
- Butter
- Sugar
- Vanilla sugar or extract
- Eggs
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Milk
- Hazelnuts
- Dark chocolate
- Coconut oil
So easy to make
This cake is for beginner bakers. Everyone can make it, but here are a few tips that will guarantee success:
Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. If they are different temperatures, the dough may split.
Cream the softened butter, sugar and vanilla sugar until pale and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, beating each egg for 1 minute.
Adding the eggs one by one and beating them for a minute incorporates air into the dough, making the cake nice and fluffy.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Fold the dry mix into the wet mix, alternating with milk. Finally fold in the hazelnuts and combine quickly. Do not overmix the dough, a few lumps of flour and hazelnuts are totally fine.
For the juiciest and freshest cake, grind your own hazelnuts in a blender. Make sure the nuts are fresh and don’t smell rancid.
Fill your favourite cake tin with the dough and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. You can test if the cake is done by inserting a wooden skewer into the middle. If it comes out clean, it’s done.
Let the cake cool down completely before pouring over the glaze.
While the cake is cooling to room temperature, melt chocolate and mix with coconut oil. Drizzle over the cake. Decorate with chopped hazelnuts.
Bon appetit!
Grandma's juicy hazelnut cake
Ingredients
- 250 g butter softened
- 200 g caster sugar
- 1.5 tbsp vanilla sugar or essence
- 4 large eggs
- 200 g plain flour
- 1.5 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 250 g hazelnuts ground
- 150 ml milk
Glaze
- 250 g dark chocolate
- 4 tbsp coconut oil
- 80 g hazelnuts roughly chopped
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a cake tin.
- Beat softened butter, sugar and vanilla sugar until pale and fluffy.
- One by one, beat in the eggs, beating each egg for 1 minute.
- Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Fold into the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk. Do not overmix.
- Add ground hazelnuts, and quickly combine.
- Fill your favourite cake tin with the dough and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool to room temperature.
Glaze
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Drizzle in coconut oil and mix until smooth.
- Pour glaze over the cake. Decorate with chopped hazelnuts while the glaze is still wet.
