If you are not a fan of the traditional fruit laden, dense Christmas cake then you've just possibly found a new favourite with this light, chocolatey-nutty alternative!
INGREDIENTS
220gm bittersweet 54% chocolate
220gm roasted skinned hazelnuts
220gm walnut pieces
1½ Tbsp finely chopped orange zest
1½ Tbsp finely chopped lemon zest
100gm butter
2tsp cassia
200gm caster sugar
2Tbsp brandy (optional)
5 x 59gm extra-large eggs
1tsp vanilla paste
icing sugar to finish
COOKS NOTES
- This cake freezes well, so can be made a month or so in advance.
- Use any kind of chocolate but understand that the lower the percentage, the sweeter the cake will be.
- Use cinnamon in place of cassia if not available. I prefer the sweeter flavour of cassia.
- Roast hazelnuts in a moderate oven for about 8 minutes, until the skin dries and cracks. Allow to cool and then rub in clean tea towel to remove majority of skin. Roll nuts off tea towel and shake off skin into the bin.
- Peel orange and lemon zest (not white pith) using peeler and finely chop.
- Serve cake warm (can heat in slices in microwave) or cold with vanilla bean ice cream or an espresso custard.
- Cake will keep for up to 2 weeks stored in the fridge or 10 days in the pantry.
- Tightly wrap it in foil to keep it moist.
- Make muffin-size cakes to give as gifts; adjust cooking time to about 25 minutes.
METHOD
- Pre-heat oven to 180ºC. Roast hazelnuts as per cooks notes.
- Line base of a deep 20cm loose base cake tin with non-stick baking paper. Smear a thin layer of butter around the sides.
- While nuts are roasting, peel lemon and orange and finely chop the zest. Place in large bowl with sugar and cassia. Melt butter.
- Place walnuts in food processor and process briefly into a fairly fine meal. Remove and repeat the process with cooled hazelnuts. Then tip chocolate into processor with hazelnuts and add walnuts back. Process briefly (or use pulse button) until everything is combined into a fine-ish meal (see video). Stop before it becomes a paste and sticks together!
- Stir chocolate mix into other ingredients in bowl. Add melted butter and brandy if using. Stir again.
- Separate eggs - place yolks in medium size bowl and whites into electric mixer bowl. Briefly whisk yolks with vanilla paste, scrape into cake mix and stir well.
- Whisk whites just until ribbon stage (see video). Stir whites into cake mixture using a large metal spoon.
- Scrape mixture into prepared cake tin and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Test by inserting a skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean the cake is ready. If there is sticky cake mixture on the skewer then replace in the oven for a further 5-7 minutes and then test again.
- Leave cake in tin for 5 minutes before removing. Cool completely on wire rack.
- Dredge with icing sugar and serve with double cream if liked.
