Cardamom Hazelnut Cakes
Lightly Adapted from Claire Ptak’s Coffee Cardamom Walnut Cakes recipe in The Violet Bakery Cookbook (which you should buy, immediately)
Yield: 12
You will need a stand mixer or handheld mixer for this recipe. You’ll also need a nutcracker, a sharp knife, and a large mixing bowl.
The originial recipe is given in metric; hence the oven setting of 340F and measures like 13 tablespoons.
1/3 cup hazelnuts, shelled
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cardamom (see notes)
13 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup+2 tablepsoons crème fraîche (recipe below)
For the crème fraîche
2 cups heavy cream, ideally organic, not heavily pasteurized
2 tablespoons buttermilk or full-fat plain yogurt, ideally organic, not heavily pasteurized
If you plan to make your own crème fraîche, you’ll need to do this 12-24 hours ahead of time. Sterilize a lidded glass or plastic jar. Stir the buttermilk or yogurt into the cream. Cover with cheesecloth or clean napkin. Allow to stand 12-24 hours. When the time is up, cap and refrigerate up to three weeks.
To make the hazelnut cakes:
Preheat the oven to 340F.
Spray a 12-well muffin tin with non-stick spray. Be sure to get the top of the pan, too. Or butter the pan generously with melted butter.
Shell the hazelnuts. Place on a tray and heat them for a few minutes. You aren’t looking to toast them, just to bring out their oils. Be careful not to burn them. Remove from oven and allow to cool–they shouldn’t be too hot. Once you can handle them, chop finely with a knife. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom with a whisk. Add the nuts, whisking through to incorporate.
Using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. It’s hard to overdo this step.
When the sugar and butter are light and airy, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated. Add the vanilla, then the flour/spices/hazelnuts. If your mixer is anything like mine, you may need to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
Now add the crème fraîche. My mixer is on the smaller side, so adding the crème fraîche while it was running created a splattered mess; if your mixer is small, turn it off, pour the crème fraîche in, then start at low speed to avoid a Jackson Pollock dairy experience.
I found using a two-tablespoon measure made portioning the dough easier. Scoop into muffin wells and bake for 20 minutes. Cakes are ready when tops spring back and toothpick tester comes out clean.
Cool on rack before turning out.
Hazelnut Cardamom Cakes keep, well-wrapped, at room temperature, up the three days. They also freeze well.
Notes: I purchase cardamom in the pod. For this recipe, I crack the pods with a pestle to extract the seeds, measuring one teaspoon.
Original recipe calls for pink peppercorns. As I never use pink pepper, I ommitted it.
Original recipe uses 2 1/2 ounces walnuts, and is marvelous. Try it!