Hazelnut Cake (Nussshaumtorte)

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 egg yolks
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 4 to 6 egg whites
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon butter (for buttering the pan)
• ½ tablespoon flour (for flouring the pan)

Coffee cream

• 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons strong espresso coffee
• ¾ cup whole hazelnuts, coarsely ground

Coffee glaze

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 egg white
• 2 tablespoons strong espresso coffee
• Caramelized sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup water
• About 12 whole hazelnuts

12 servings

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and sticky. Grind the nuts finely (but not too fine) and toast them lightly.
2. Beat the egg whites until stiff and mix with the bread crumbs. Fold in the sugar-egg yolk mixture and the nuts.
3. Butter and lightly flour a nine-inch spring-form pan. Pour batter into pan and bake for 30 minutes. The cake is done when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Meanwhile, make the coffee cream. Beat the butter until smooth and add the sugar. Beat until pale. Add the coffee and hazelnuts and mix thoroughly.
5. When the cake has cooled, cut it in half lengthwise and spread with the coffee cream.
6. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Sieve the powdered sugar into a saucepan and add the egg white and espresso. Warm slightly, stirring constantly, until you have a glaze.
7. Glaze the cake. Make the caramelized sugar by dissolving the granulated sugar in the water in a small saucepan over low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until it turns a rich golden brown. With a pair of metal tongs, dip each nut into the syrup and place it on a piece of wax paper. When the syrup hardens, decorate the cake with the nuts so that there is one hazelnut for each serving.

45 minutes