Ok, let me start by saying that I’m cheating a bit because this recipe had Hazelnut-Mocha first, but I really wanted to try it. Also, I tried to find a link to this recipe online but had no luck. It also looks like the issue is out of stock since it is an older issue so I’m posting the recipe below in case you want to try it.
Let me start by saying this recipe is quite time consuming and probably one of the more complicated recipes I’ve made. While I ended up making this all in one day I would probably recommend splitting it up. Let’s start with the meringue.
First, the hazelnut flour we bought was pretty expensive. You don’t use a ton either so now I’ve got to figure out what to do with the rest of it. It might be worth it to make your own but I’ll let you research that on your own. I digress…. prep the oven and your parchment paper. I used a pencil to write on the back of a piece of parchment paper and then flipped it over so the lead wasn’t touching my food. Combine the flours, confectioners sugar and salt. It says to sift, but I didn’t have anything clean to sift with so I skipped it. Beat the egg whites, adding the sugar after you start to get stiff peaks and then vanilla right at the end. When it’s ready you’ll gently mix together the dry ingredients with the whipped egg whites. I’m normally not good at this as I always end up deflating the batter but I thought I did a pretty good job this time. I piped it onto the parchment paper and popped it into the oven. Mine baked for about 2 hours and then I let it sit in the oven for about 6 hours. It wasn’t as dried out in the middle as it should have been so I think next time I’d let it bake longer and then maybe even let it sit in the oven overnight.
The ganache filling is super easy so I’ll skip any comments on the process. Somehow I missed the step about piping it onto the meringue so what I ended up doing was letting it harden a little and then putting it into a loaf pan I lined with plastic wrap. Then I pressed the ganache into the bottom and once I was ready to assemble I gently flipped the ganache onto the meringue and it was a perfect fit.
The espresso french buttercream is also pretty simple, but I think that’s because I made something fairly recently that was similar so I wasn’t panicked at seeing it look broken. I’m always grateful for recipe notes like that because if it seems like it’s messing up I do start to panic a little. Once it’s ready to go then you’ll start to assemble the cake and pipe this onto the 2nd meringue layer. I think mine was a little thick so I’ll probably cut back next time and just save the rest for something else. You’ll put the final meringue layer on and then pop it into the fridge for about an hour.
The final step is to make the ganache glaze and coat the cake with it once it’s slightly cool. Again, this was pretty easy and I let my glaze sit for probably 20 minutes so it was a little easier to pour (but not hardened yet). It definitely wasn’t the most beautiful looking cake because some of the meringue layers weren’t even but it wasn’t terrible. I coat the sides with sliced almonds and voilà!
This wasn’t super difficult; probably the meringue was the most complicated part. It is very time consuming though. I ranked it at a 9 for visual but the actual picture in the magazine was stunning of course. I think having done it once it would look a lot better next time. This was very very rich, but very good. The hazelnut reminded me a little of the Manner Hazelnut Cream Filled Wafers and those are one of my favorite European treats. I’d absolutely make this again and despite not looking like the magazine photo I’m still really pleased with how it turned out.
Recipe
Makes 1 (10×3-inch) cake
Meringue (recipe follows)
Ganache Filling (recipe follows)
Espresso French Buttercream (recipe follows)
Ganache Glaze (recipe follows)
Garnish sliced toasted almonds, chopped toasted hazelnuts
Steps
- Gently peel Meringue off parchment paper. Using a serrated knife, trim edges so they are even and each rectangle is the same size. (Try not to press down on Meringue while trimming edges. If it breaks, you can piece it back together.) Cut a cake round to the size of the Meringue rectangles, and place one Meringue on top.
- Spoon Ganache Filling into a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch round piping tip. Pipe a ½-inch-thick layer of filling on top of Meringue. Gently press a second layer of Meringue on top. Place roughly half of Espresso French Buttercream (1½ cups) in a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch round piping tip. Pipe a layer of buttercream onto Meringue. Top buttercream with remaining layer of Meringue, top down so flat side is facing up. Use remaining Espresso French Buttercream to fill in any gaps, and cover cake with a thin layer of buttercream, making it as smooth as possible. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Place chilled cake on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet lined with plastic wrap. Pour warm Ganache Glaze over cake, letting it cover top and sides of cake. Using a large offset spatula, level off top of cake in one swipe. (Do not try to do it more than once or in short strokes-it will leave streaks in the final product.
If some of the buttercream is peaking through on the sides, you can smooth it with an offset spatula, but don’t worry about it too much since the sides will be decorated.) Decorate sides of cake with almonds and hazelnuts, if desired. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
MERINGUE
Makes 3 (10×3-inch) meringues
Ingredients
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (78 grams) almond flour cup
¾ cup (72 grams) hazelnut flour
1½ cups (180 grams) confectioners’ sugar teaspoon kosher salt
6 large egg whites (180 grams)
⅓ cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 225°F (107°C). Line an 18×13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw 3 (10×3-inch) rectangles at least 3 inches apart on parchment; turn parchment over, and spray with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine flours. Add confectioners’ sugar and salt, stirring until well combined. Sift.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium speed until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. With mixer running, add granulated sugar in three additions, beating well after each addition, about 15 seconds. Increase mixer speed to high, and beat until meringue turns shiny, about 1 minute. Add vanilla, and beat until glossy medium-stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Place meringue in a large bowl; quickly and gently fold in flour mixture. Gently place meringue in a pastry bag fitted with a inch round piping tip. Pipe meringue onto drawn rectangles on prepared pan, filling completely.
- Bake until meringue is firm to the touch, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Turn oven off, and let meringue stand in oven with door closed for at least 6 hours or overnight.
GANACHE FILLING
Makes about ⅞ cup
Ingredients
⅔ cup (113 grams) chopped bittersweet chocolate
½ (120 grams) heavy whipping cream
½ teaspoon (1 gram) instant espresso powder
- In a medium heatproof bowl, place chocolate.
- In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium heat, stirring frequently, just until steaming. (Do not boil.) Whisk in espresso powder. Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate; let stand for 1 minute. Using a silicone spatula, slowly stir small circles in center of bowl until cream mixture and chocolate come together and mixture is shiny and smooth. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to overnight.
ESPRESSO FRENCH BUTTERCREAM
Makes 3 cups
¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60 grams) water
2 large eggs (100 grams), room temperature
2 large egg yolks (37 grams), room temperature
1½ cups (340 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon (6 grams) instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon (6 grams) vanilla bean paste
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a small saucepan, bring sugar and ½ cup (60 grams) water to a boil over high heat. (Do not stir.) Cook until an instant-read thermometer registers 240°F (116°C).
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fited with the whisk attachment, beat eggs and egg yolks at medium-high speed until pale and light, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low. Pour hot sugar syrup into egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, being careful not to hit sides of bowl or whisk attachment. Increase mixer speed to high, and beat until bottom of bowl feels cool to the touch, 4 to 5 minutes. Add butter, 1 tablespoon (14 grams) at a time, beating until combined after each addition. (It will look broken, but keep beating and it will come back together.) Add espresso powder, vanilla bean paste, and salt, beating until well combined. Use immediately.
GANACHE GLAZE
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients
2 cups (340 grams) chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 ½ (360 grams) heavy whipping cream
- In a small saucepan, bring sugar and ½ cup (60 grams) water to a boil over high heat. (Do not stir.) Cook until an instant-read thermometer registers 240°F (116°C).
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs and egg yolks at medium-high speed until pale and light, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low. Pour hot sugar syrup into egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, being careful not to hit sides of bowl or whisk attachment. Increase mixer speed to high, and beat until bottom of bowl feels cool to the touch, 4 to 5 minutes. Add butter, 1 tablespoon (14 grams) at a time, beating until combined after each addition. (It will look broken, but keep beating and it will come back together.) Add espresso powder, vanilla bean paste, and salt, beating until well combined. Use immediately.
| Baking Ease | 8 |
| Time Spent | 7 |
| Taste | 10 |
| Visual | 9 |
Recipe Used: Bake From Scatch – French Baking (Special Issue Magazine 2021)
KH Confections 