A Lemony Hazelnut & Blueberry Cake

By Bakepedia on May 19, 2014

Read our interview with Amber about her approach to creating desserts that nourish us from the inside out. I love cream, I love berries and I love nuts. Here, I have incorporated them all in one delicious cake. A slice of this, 10 minutes to myself, a steaming cup of fragrant jasmine tea, and the world would simply fall away. On a recent visit to my friend Sadie Frost’s house, I took her some cakes to share for an afternoon tea, and one of her gorgeous sons, upon seeing this cake, said: “Baking cakes like this is like being a superhero.” Possibly the best compliment I have ever had.

Author: Amber Rose

Makes: Serves 8 to10

Ingredients

For the Cake:

¾ cup hazelnuts
2¼ cups white spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
18 tablespoons unsalted butter, really soft
4 large free-range eggs
⅓ cup honey (or superfine sugar)
⅓ cup maple syrup
Finely grated zest of 1 large unwaxed lemon

For the Filling:

1½ cups heavy cream
2 to 3 tablespoons honey
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar-free blueberry jam
1⅓ cups fresh blueberries
Violas to decorate (optional)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350˚F. Grease and flour two 8-inch loose-bottomed layer cake pans.
Start by toasting your hazelnuts in the oven for 5 to7 minutes; check after 5, because they burn easily. Once they are changing color and releasing their lovely, nutty aroma, remove them from the oven and leave to cool for a minute or two before rubbing off most of the skins. Grind the nuts in a food processor into a fine meal.
To make this all-in-one cake, simply sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and beat in all the other ingredients using an electric mixer. Be careful not to overmix—you want a light cake. Scrape the cake mixture into your prepared pans and level the tops with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cakes are golden and risen and a skewer inserted into the centers comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before carefully taking them out of their pans and placing on a cooling rack.
When the cakes have cooled, you can make the honey cream. Lightly whip the cream until very soft peaks form, drizzle in the honey, and whisk again until incorporated. Take one spoonful of jam at a time and carefully marble it through the cream.
If your cakes are very peaked you may wish to trim the tops so you have a nice flat surface to decorate. Then carefully place one cake on your cake plate, spoon over two thirds of the marbled honey cream, and place the second cake on top. Spread the remaining third of the honey cream on the top of the second cake, then sprinkle the fresh blueberries over the cream and scatter with beautiful violas, if you wish.