Hazelnut Agave Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Generously butter two 20cm sandwich tins (ideally about 4.5cm deep or deeper) and line the bases with baking parchment. Put the hazelnuts into a food processor with 2 tbsp of the sugar, then pulse until finely chopped. Don't expect them to go as fine as ground almonds and avoid over-processing, as this can make the nuts greasy.
• Put the butter, milk and coffee powder into a small pan and heat gently until the butter has melted. Set aside.
• Now start the sponge. Crack the eggs into the bowl of a tabletop mixer, add the rest of the sugar and beat for 5-10 mins (or beat with an electric hand mixer in a large deep bowl for 15-20 mins) or until thick and billowy, and the mixture leaves a trail that holds for a couple of seconds. It is really important that the mixture has thickened, almost doubling in size, in order to achieve a light sponge.
• Mix the cornflour, plain flour and 1/2 tsp salt, and sift onto the whisked mixture. Using a large metal spoon, fold in very carefully. Sprinkle in the ground nuts, then fold these in too. Pour the warm milk mix around the edge of the bowl, and fold this in. Don't rush the folding, and continue with a light lifting and cutting motion until ribbons of liquid stop appearing. Divide the batter between the tins, then bake for 25 mins until risen to the middle and a burnished gold.
• Loosen the sides of the cakes with a palette knife, then cool in the tins on a rack for 20 mins (the cakes will level off, and possibly go a bit wrinkly, but that's normal). Carefully remove from the tins and cool, paper-side down.
• Make the syrup and the frosting while you wait. Put the sugar and 4 tbsp water into a small pan. Bring to the boil and leave for 1 min then take off the heat. Stir in the coffee and alcohol. Beat the mascarpone, hazelnut chocolate spread and coffee together with a wooden spoon, until silky and even.
• To assemble, cut the cold cakes horizontally across the middle, using a long serrated knife. With a pastry brush, dampen the cut surfaces all over with the syrup. Use it all. Put one cake layer onto a plate or stand, cut-side up. Spoon on 3 generous dollops of the frosting, then spread to the edges with a palette knife. The frosting should be about 5mm deep. Repeat with the next two layers. When you come to the final layer, place it cut-side down, so that the top of the cake is smooth. Paddle the rest of the frosting over the top and sides of the cake. The layer on the top can be thin. Clean the knife then use it to press a neat ring of nuts into the frosting on the side of the cake. Brush any excess away.
• For the topping, put 3 tbsp of the cream, 1 tsp icing sugar and 1 tbsp milk into a small bowl. Put the rest of the cream, milk and sugar, plus most of the dissolved coffee into a larger bowl. Whip the white cream, then the coffee cream, until they look like soft cappuccino froth, thick but still able to flow from a spoon. Pour most of the coffee cream onto the cake and push it out to cover the top. Whisk a little more coffee into what is left, so that it turns a few shades darker.
• To decorate with a characteristic latte 'tree' shape, load a pointy teaspoon with a little of the white cream. Start at the base of the tree, just right of the centre of the cake. Push the spoon into the coffee cream and let the white cream flow slowly. As it flows, drag the spoon then pull it gently away, to make a leaf-like shape. Repeat with more white cream on the left to make another leaf, then repeat 3-4 times, working up the cake top graduating from large to small leaves. Use the same technique to sweep a couple of arc shapes around the edge of the pattern.
• Use the dark cream to add detail to each leaf - you can paint this on with the tip of a teaspoon or a clean cocktail stick. Use a cocktail stick to drag the points of each leaf up and outwards. Draw a line down from the top of the 'tree' to the bottom to finish. The cake will keep for up to 2 days. Loosely cover any cut edges but avoid covering the cake directly as you could damage the decoration. Serve from the fridge or at cool room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly oil two 9-inch cake pans with canola oil spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• To make the cake, using an electric mixer beat the 4 egg yolks, the 2 whole eggs, 6 tablespoons of the agave nectar, and the orange zest until creamy and pale in color, about 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually stir in the hazelnuts until mixed evenly. In a separate bowl, beat the 4 egg whites at medium high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tables-poons agave nectar and beat until slightly stiffer peaks form, another 1 to 2 minutes. (Do not overmix.) Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the hazelnut mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers of the layers comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack and peel off the parchment paper. Let cool completely.
• Prepare the filling by blending the tofu in a food processor until smooth and creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the butter substitute and agave nectar. Blend again until incorporated. Heat the soy milk in the microwave for 5 seconds, add the coffee substitute, stir to dissolve, and pour into the food processor. Add the cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract and blend until all the ingredients are well combined.
• To assemble the cake, top the cake layer with the filling and spread evenly with an offset spatula or knife. Top with the second layer and glaze with the ganache frosting by spooning it over the top and sides of the cake, smoothing it out with the spatula.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan. Grind hazelnuts until very fine. Add baking powder and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whip the egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow in color. Beat in the ground hazelnut mixture.
• In a separate CLEAN bowl, with a CLEAN whisk, whip the egg whites until stiff. Quickly fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk mixture, then add the remaining whites and fold in until no streaks remain.
• Pour into a 9 inch springform. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 75 minutes, or until top of cake springs back when lightly tapped. Cool on wire rack.
• When cake is cool, slice horizontally into 3 layers. Whip the cream until stiff, and spread generously between layers, on top and on the sides of the cake. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts on top for decoration.

Steps:

• Combine agave, butter, wine and eggs beat thoroughly. Combine flour, baking soda, lemon peel, spices and salt mix well. Add dry ingredients to agave mixture beat until thoroughly mixed. Stir in hazelnuts. Pour into greased and floured 13 x 9 x 2-in. pan. Bake at 325°F for 35 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes on rack invert cake onto serving plate or tray.

Steps:

• Chop the hazelnuts in a food processor or mini-chopper to small bits-not to a powder. Set aside. Whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Butter and flour the cake pan. Preheat the oven to 350˚ with a rack in the center.
• In the mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light, smooth, and fluffy; scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Incorporate the eggs, olive oil, and orange zest in several additions, blending each in at slow speed, scraping the bowl, then beating at high speed for a couple of minutes to lighten.
• On slow speed, incorporate the dry mix in several additions, alternating with splashes of milk. Scrape the bowl when both are added, and beat briefly on high. Fold in the chopped nuts and chocolate by hand, and blend in well.
• Scrape the batter into the cake pan, and smooth the top. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and just spring back to a light touch.
• Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes or so, remove the side ring of the springform, and let the cake cool completely. Cut in wedges, and serve topped with powdered sugar or whipped cream.
• The torte will keep in the refrigerator for a week, well wrapped in plastic, or you can freeze it for longer storage. When serving torte that has been chilled or frozen, toast the cut pieces in the oven (or toaster oven) to bring out the flavors.