An Elastic Waistband Cake Recipe

Hazelnut and Chocolate Cake

If you like 'fluffy' and/or light cakes - you'd better give this one a miss… This one's moist and chunky!

Serves 8… (well about 4 in our case!)…

Ingredients:-

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140g (5oz) skinned Hazelnuts

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3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder

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1 Tablespoon of Black & Green's Drinking Chocolate Powder

(optional…I added this because I like my chocolate chocolatey!)...

in any case an extra spoon of cocoa powder shouldn't do any harm!

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60g (2 oz) Plain Flour

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30g (1 oz) Self Raising Flour

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185g (6 oz) Soft Brown Sugar

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250g (9 oz) Unsalted Butter, softened

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4 Eggs, separated

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icing sugar for dusting.

Method:-

Toast the Hazelnuts under a hot grill… turning/shaking etc., so that they 'toast' all round and don't burn. Leave them to cool, then put them in a food processor and blitz down to visible bits NOT too fine or they will become oily… You can instead chop them by hand with a sharp knife. Transfer to a bowl with the cocoa powder and the sifted flours… Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C…(350 degrees F/Gas 4)

Beat together the sugar and the butter until very creamy. Add the egg yolks one at a time - mixing well after each addition. Add the hazelnut/cocoa mixture and stir well. Whisk the egg whites in a clean, dry glass bowl until soft peaks form then fold into the mixture. Pour into an 8 inch sprung cake tin which has had a quick wipe round with butter or margarine. Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer or knife blade inserted into the centre comes out clean. Rest for 15 minutes… then having released the cake from the tin allow it to cool on a wire rack… Dust with icing sugar before serving…

It's especially nice with a blob of Creme Fréche or Greek Yoghurt .