Orange Hazelnut Cake with Zesty Orange Glaze
By Miles Carr
Prep
40 min
Cook
35 min
Total
75 min
Servings
12
Level
Medium
Bake this orange hazelnut cake as a show-stopping dessert in 1 hour 15 minutes. A 9-inch round cake pan is required. The cake is moist and flavored with hazelnuts and oranges. A thick icing drips down the sides.
I candied the peel by removing the whitish portions and then boiling the strips until soft and translucent. I roasted the whole hazelnuts until the skins cracked and the nuts were fragrant, peeled, and chopped the nuts using a clean towel. The additional effort was worth it for an attractive resulting dish.
Use room-temperature eggs, butter, and buttermilk. Beat the butter and sugar for 3 to 4 minutes to lighten the color before beating in the eggs, one at a time. My new trick for the dry ingredients is to stop beating after all the flour has been added, even if the batter is still streaky from the orange zest.
Let the cake cool completely on a rack before icing to keep the icing from sliding off the cake. I enjoy the taste and texture of the final layer of glaze and the appearance and taste of chopped hazelnuts and orange curls on the glaze. Consider leaving a layer of white icing on the cake to highlight other decorations.
Why you'll love this recipe
- 1One 9-inch pan makes a single-layer cake that does not require filling or layering.
- 2The garnish needs a baking sheet for the nuts and a small saucepan for the orange curls.
- 3An electric mixer can beat the butter and sugar mixture for you; you don't have to beat it by hand.
- 4Stir the glaze in a bowl and pour it over the cooled cake. You don't need a piping bag.
- 5A 12-slice cake is suitable for a large number of dessert servings.
- 6Ground hazelnuts provide hazelnut flecks through the cake crumb. Slices of orange peel are used as a garnish for the cake.
Ingredients
- •1 cup unsalted butter (225g, softened and room temperature)
- •1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
- •4 large eggs (room temperature)
- •2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- •1 cup ground hazelnuts (100g, finely ground toasted hazelnuts or hazelnut meal)
- •2 teaspoons baking powder (8g)
- •½ teaspoon fine sea salt (3g)
- •2 large oranges orange zest
- •½ cup fresh orange juice (120ml, for the cake)
- •½ cup buttermilk (120ml, room temperature)
- •2 cups powdered sugar (240g, sifted)
- •3 tablespoons fresh orange juice (45-60ml, use 3-4 tablespoons for the glaze)
- •½ cup whole hazelnuts (65g, raw, for toasting and garnish)
- •1 large orange (with a thick peel, for candied peel)
- •1 cup granulated sugar (200g, for candying syrup)
- •1 cup water (240ml, for candying syrup)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- 2
Spread the 1/2 cup (65g) whole hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 8-10 minutes, until they smell nutty and the skins begin to blister.
- 3
Let the hazelnuts cool slightly, then rub them in a clean kitchen towel to loosen the skins.
- 4
Coarsely chop the toasted hazelnuts and set them aside for the garnish.
- 5
Wash the large orange, then use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel in long, wide strips while avoiding the white pith.
- 6
Cut the orange peel strips into very thin curls.
- 7
Bring 1 cup (240ml) water and 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- 8
Add the orange peel curls and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, until tender and translucent.
- 9
Lift out the orange curls with a fork and leave them to dry on a wire rack.
- 10
Grease and flour a 9-inch (23cm) round cake pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper.
- 11
Whisk the all-purpose flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- 12
Beat the softened butter and 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, until light, pale, and fluffy.
- 13
Add the 4 eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- 14
Mix in the zest of 2 large oranges.
- 15
Reduce the mixer speed to low.
- 16
Add the dry mixture in three additions, alternating with the 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk and 1/2 cup (120ml) fresh orange juice, beginning and ending with the dry mixture.
- 17
Mix only until the flour is just combined.
- 18
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- 19
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- 20
Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes.
- 21
Invert the cake onto a wire rack and cool completely.
- 22
Whisk the 2 cups (240g) sifted powdered sugar with 3 tablespoons of fresh orange juice in a small bowl until smooth.
- 23
If the glaze is too thick, add more orange juice a half-teaspoon at a time. If it is too thin, whisk in more sifted powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time.
- 24
Pour the glaze over the center of the cooled cake and let it drip down the sides.
- 25
Before the glaze sets, sprinkle the chopped toasted hazelnuts over the cake and arrange the candied orange peel curls on top.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
410
Calories
Reviews
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