Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 300 g hazelnuts, ground
- 50 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g unsalted butter, melted
- 6 eggs
- 150 g sugar
Filling
- 3 pear, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 100 g sugar
- 45 ml lemon juice
- 15 ml eau de vie
- 450 g ricotta
- 100 g icing sugar
- 200 ml heavy cream
Hazelnut Praline Topping
- 200 g sugar
- 200 g hazelnuts
Chocolate Sauce
- 150 ml heavy cream
- 25 g unsalted butter
- 100 g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
- 1 g salt
- 15 ml hazelnut liqueur
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Line the bases of two 22cm sandwich tins with baking paper.
Pulse the hazelnuts in a food processor until they reach a finely ground consistency similar to almond meal.
In a bowl, combine the ground hazelnuts and flour.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan or microwave and set aside to cool slightly.
Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl for several minutes until the mixture is pale and has tripled in volume.
Gently fold the hazelnut mixture and the melted butter into the eggs using a large spoon, taking care not to deflate the batter.
Divide the batter between the two tins and bake for 20-30 minutes at 190°C (375°F).
Remove cakes from the oven and cool on a wire rack before removing the baking paper.
Combine sliced pears, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Simmer until pears are tender, then stir in the eau de vie.
Strain the pears through a sieve into a heatproof bowl, reserving the syrup and the fruit separately to cool.
Whisk ricotta and icing sugar until smooth, then add heavy cream and whisk until the mixture thickens.
Stir 15ml of the reserved pear syrup into the cream. Set aside 1/4 of this mixture and fold the cooled pears into the rest.
Brush one sponge with syrup, spread the pear filling over it, and top with the second sponge. Trim the sides for a clean finish.
Brush the top with syrup, wrap in cling film, and freeze for 2 hours to set.
Heat sugar in a saucepan until it turns into a golden-brown caramel. Stir in 200g of hazelnuts.
Reserve some whole glazed hazelnuts on a tray. Pour the rest onto paper to harden, then grind in a food processor into crumbs.
Coat the chilled cake with the reserved cream, then press the praline crumbs and whole hazelnuts onto the surface.
Heat cream, butter, chocolate, and salt in a saucepan until melted. Stir in the liqueur and serve warm with the cake.
Chef's Notes
- For the hazelnut sponge, toasting the hazelnuts before grinding will significantly enhance their flavor. Be careful not to over-process them into a paste; aim for a texture similar to almond flour.
- When folding the dry ingredients into the whipped eggs, use a large spatula and a gentle lifting motion. Overmixing will knock out the air, resulting in a dense cake.
- Ensure the ricotta filling is well-drained to avoid a watery texture. For an extra smooth filling, you can pass the ricotta through a fine-mesh sieve before mixing.
- The hazelnut praline needs careful attention during caramelization. Watch it closely; it can go from perfectly golden to burnt very quickly. If it burns, it's best to start over as burnt caramel is bitter.
- For the chocolate sauce, using good quality dark chocolate will make a noticeable difference in flavor. Adding a pinch of salt balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate notes.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Keep covered to prevent the cake from absorbing fridge odors.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze without the chocolate sauce for best results.
Reheating: Serve the cake chilled. Reheat the chocolate sauce gently in a microwave or small saucepan before serving.
