Hazelnut Cake with Mascarpone and Frangelico Cream
Hazelnut Cake with Mascarpone and Frangelico Cream
140g butter
200g caster sugar
6 eggs, separated
2 tbsp flour, sieved
200g ricotta
200g coarsely ground hazelnuts
3 tsp lemon zest
Glaze:- 8 tbsp apricot jam
50g dark chocolate, grated
Hazelnuts to decorate
To serve – 250g mascarpone
2 tbsp clear honey
Tbsp of frangelico [optional, but tastes better with it]
Pe-heat oven to 180C. Grease a 23cm shallow cake tin. In a large bowl beat together the butter and half of the sugar. Gradually add the egg yolks and con-tinue to beat until light and fluffy. Fold in the sieved flour. In a separate bowl, beat the ricotta with a fork, then add the hazelnuts and lemon zest. Add this to the flour mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff, then beat in the remainder of the sugar. Fold into the ricotta mixture very care-fully. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for about 35 – 45 mins until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool, remove and place on a plate. Put the jam and 2 tbsp of water in a small saucepan over a low heat and stir until you get a smooth, fairly runny consistency. Brush the top of the cake and leave to cool. Sprinkle with the choco-late and scatter with some whole hazelnuts. Mix the mascarpone, clear honey and frangelico together in a small dish. Slice the cake, serve with the cream and enjoy.
