Hazelnut & Chocolate Spelt Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

  • 250g/8ozs white spelt flour
  • 125g/4ozs spelt wholemeal
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¾ tsp hazelnut extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 250 ml sunflower oil
  • 250g/8ozs caster sugar
  • 2 tbls good quality cocoa powder
  • 2 tbls plain yoghurt

Preheat oven to 180oc/375oF. Gives an excellent flavour.

Melt 1 oz butter and using a pastry brush, butter and flour a 9” diameter, 2 litre Bundt pan. (Do not use oil spray if the Bundt pattern is elaborate and intricate e.g. rose shape, crennellations etc, as it isn’t effective in the crevices and will cause sticking and spoil the finished look – I know this from experience!)

Method:

  1. Beat eggs, vanilla and hazelnut extract and sugar in electric mixer until tripled in volume – 4-5 minutes. Add oil slowly in a steady stream with a few pauses  until it is all incorporated. The batter will be fairly thick.

  2. Sift flours, baking powder into a large bowl. Mix thoroughly with a hand whisk. Fold into batter with a large whisk or wooden spoon.

  3. Divide the mixture in half into another bowl. To this bowl, add the cocoa powder and the yoghurt, and fold together. 

  4. Using a tablespoon, spoon 3 tablespoons of the cocoa batter to form a triangle in the Bundt tin. Between these spoon in the plain batter. Using a knife of dessertspoon, swirl the two batters together. Repeat the process on top of this using all of both batters, and swirl again. Put in pre-heated oven on middle shelf and cook for 35 – 40 minutes.  Check with a wooden skewer and if still moist, bake an extra 5 minutes maximum, but no longer to avoid drying out.  

  5. Wait 10 minutes before turning cake out onto cooling rack. Let it cool thoroughly.

  6. When cold, dust with icing sugar to accentuate the markings of the Bundt tin.

  7. Optional finish for special occasion: make some hazelnut brittle – recipe follows.  When set, chop some fairly finely. Brush top of cake with some sieved apricot jam to create a sticky surface. Sprinkle the chopped nut brittle on top.


Hazelnut Brittle:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup golden syrup, or light Agave syrup
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 21/2 cups roasted unsalted hazelnuts, sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • Few drops vanilla


Method:

  1. Put a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add sugar, water, and corn or agave syrup and bring to a boil.

  2. When mixture comes to a boil, add butter. Cook to 260 degrees F on a candy thermometer without stirring and add the sliced hazelnuts.

  3. Bring mixture to 300 degrees F and stir in salt, baking soda and vanilla.

  4. Pour mixture onto a greased baking sheet and spread out and allow to cool.

  5. Break up into pieces. Can also be ground and added to ice cream.

  6. Or just make your own favourite nut brittle.




16th November 2020

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