This week I was looking for a recipe to really give my new KitchenAid mixer a test. The oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I made for its first run were good but they just didn't satisfy my need to really see it work. So naturally I took to Goggle to figure out what recipe to use. I found a thread posted to the Taste of Home community forum from 2005 where recipes for breaking in a new KitchenAid were being discussed. After I read through I saw a recipe which is apparently from a 1987 copy of "The KitchenAid Cookbook". It looked rigorous enough, using both the whip and paddle attachments so I gave it a shot and it did not disappoint!
The hardest part was to find the hazelnuts! I went to the local grocery who apparently on has them seasonal starting in October. I called the nearest organic grocery store and they said they had been out for months and so had their supplier. With my recipe looking like it wasn't going to happen I called one more natural grocery store and they had they in the bulk section....thank goodness. An hour later when I got home with my bounty of hazelnuts I proceeded to roast and skin them. I put them in the toaster oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes (or until the skins start to crack). I then put them in a big bowl and rubbed with a paper towel to get the new loose skins off. This process will make your house smell amazing by the way.
I got the nuts all chopped up and everything prepped and measured I started mixing.
First up was the egg whites.....I messed this part up and added all my sugar at once instead of the partial amount the recipe called for. The cake is still good and not too sweet.
I used a decent amount of the 7qt. capacity when whipping the egg whites and they had stiff peaks in no time at all!
Next I switched over to a clean bowl and the paddle attachment to start the second part of the cake recipe. I added another 1/2 cup of sugar here to make up for my earlier mistake so that the eggs would mix correctly.
Just a couple of more ingredients....
I folded the whites into the cake base and into a 9" round it all went to bake (I don't own a springform yet).
Enjoy!
Recipes
Original inspiration recipe here.
Ganache inspiration found here.
From the “The KitchenAid Cookbook” (1987).
Hazelnut Torte
6 eggs, separated
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. plain bread crumbs
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. finely chopped hazelnuts
Place egg whites in bowl. Attach bowl and wire whip. Turn to Speed 8 and whip until soft peaks form. Continuing on Speed 8, gradually sprinkle in 1/4 cup sugar, whipping until stiff peaks form. Remove from bowl and set aside.
Place egg yolks in clean bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater, Turn to Speed 8 and beat 2 minutes, until thick and lemon colored. Reduce to Speed 6 and gradually sprinkle remaining sugar, beat 1 minute. Stop and scrape bowl.
Add bread crumbs, flour, and nuts. Turn to speed 2 and beat 30 seconds, until well blended. Fold egg white mixture into egg yolk mixture.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 325ºF for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. then remove and cool completely on wire rack.
When cool, slice cake in thirds to form 3 layers. Frost with Creamy Mocha Filling.
Yield: One 9-inch torte.
Creamy Mocha Filling
2 sq. (1 oz. each) semisweet chocolate, melted
1 c. butter or margarine, softened
2 c. powdered sugar
2 t. instant coffee
1 t. vanilla
Place chocolate and butter in bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater. Turn to speed 4 and beat 2 minutes. Sift sugar and coffee into bowl. Add vanilla. Turn to Speed 2 and mix 15 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Turn to Speed 6 and beat 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Yield: 2 cups.
Ganache
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 T. unsalted butter
5 ounces semisweet chocolate
In the microwave, heat the cream and butter until very hot. Whisk in the chocolate until smooth.
