Summer

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Peaches and Cream

August 14, 2011
4.3
3 Ratings
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

I just rediscovered this recipe, which I had written down when in the summer after graduating from high school, I helped out in the kitchen of the hip but long defunct restaurant Gala (named after the wife of Salvador Dali) in Caracas, Venezuela. I am marveling not only about how delicious yet easy the cake is, but also about the neat handwriting of an 18-year-old – this was long before the days of computers. In Spanish it’s called Torta de avellanas con melocotones, and it’s gluten-free. Thanks to advice from merrill and Syronai through Foodpickle I improved the cake by adding glaze to the peaches so they don’t turn brown so quickly. —Nadia Hassani

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 7 ounces whole hazelnuts with skins
  • 5 eggs
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • ounces dark chocolate (ideally 80%)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3-5 ripe peaches
  • ½ cups apricot preserves
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 10-inch cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
  2. Chop the hazelnuts coarsely in the food processor using the pulse function. Set aside.
  3. Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks with 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until they stand in stiff peaks.
  4. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over very low heat on the stove. Add it to the egg yolk mix in a slow steady stream and mix well.
  5. Fold in the chopped nuts, then fold in the egg whites. Pour the dough into the prepared pan and even it out with a spatula.
  6. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Loosen the sides and unmold upside down onto a cake rack and let cool slightly. Carefully remove the parchment. Let cool completely (up to this point you can make this cake a day or two ahead).
  7. Whip the cream until it stands in stiff peaks adding 2 teapoons sugar and vanilla extract. Place the cake with the flat side up on a cake plate. Evenly spread the whipped cream over the cake.
  8. If the peaches are very ripe you can remove the peel with a small pointy knife. Otherwise, make an "X" on the bottom of each peach and blanch for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the skin.
  9. Cut the peaches into thick even slices. Strain the apricot preserves and warm them over very low heat in a small saucepan. Dip each peach slice in the preserves, then arrange the slices on the cake. Refrigerate until serving.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Sagegreen
    Sagegreen
  • Nadia Hassani
    Nadia Hassani
  • sexyLAMBCHOPx
    sexyLAMBCHOPx

5 Reviews

Sagegreen August 16, 2011
So glad you rediscovered this! I love the fruits and nuts with dark chocolate here.
 
Sagegreen August 16, 2011
...and I just have to say that your book, Spoonfuls of Germany, which just arrived, is my new favorite! I love the regional organization you have followed in compiling so many of my most beloved recipes!!!
 
Nadia H. August 16, 2011
Thank you, Sagegreen, that's very kind of you to mention and glad you like the book. - You have an impressive collection of German/Austro-Hungarian recipes posted here. Your Savory Kugelhopf is definitely on top of my list for fall baking!
 
Nadia H. August 14, 2011
Yes, as chocolate and bananas go well together, I think that would work (I admit though that I am not a big fan of raw bananas but that's just my personal taste). Glad you liked the recipe.
 
sexyLAMBCHOPx August 14, 2011
how wonderful. i wonder if i can sub peaches with bananas? impressive for a high school student. i was too busy eating at diners and roy rogers. saved!