Adapted from Castello di Guarene
Growing up in Texas, my nut preference is pecan, pecan and more pecan (please). I haven’t had too much experience with hazelnuts until my trip to hazelnut territory and home of Nutella, Alba Italy. Better known for its white truffles, but we’re talking hazelnuts today. In Alba, the locals put hazelnuts in and on everything…as they should.
This Torta di Nocciole recipe was shared with me from the kitchen of the Castello di Guarene. A castle sitting just outside of Alba a town in Italy’s Piedmont region dating back to the 1700s. My husband and I were fortunate to stay three nights in this beautiful property as part of an Italy Baking retreat hosted by Bake from Scratch.
The Torta di Nocciole is gluten free, has a dense crumb and in my opinion is best served with a generous spoonful of crème anglaise. It stores beautifully and I found it even better on day two and three. It pairs perfectly with a cup of hot tea or coffee for breakfast or your afternoon merienda. Enjoy!
-MBK
Torta di Nocciole (Hazelnut Torte)
Ingredients
- 80 grams egg yolks approximately 5 large eggs
- 160 grams egg whites
- 90 grams brown sugar
- 90 grams corn syrup
- 180 grams hazelnut flour
- 80 grams coarse chopped hazelnuts
- 0.5 grams fine salt
- 25 grams hazelnut paste see note
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°
- Lightly grease an 8” round cake pan and line with parchment.
- In a large bowl, whip the egg yolks with the brown sugar until light and airy. Add the hazelnut paste and continue to whisk until well combined. Add the hazelnut flour, coarse chopped hazelnuts, and salt. Stir until combined. Mixture will be stiff.
- In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until frothy and soft peaks begin to form. Slowly add corn syrup and continue to beat until stiff peaks form being careful not to over whip, the whites should be glossy.
- Using a large spatula, gently fold one fourth of the egg white mixture into the hazelnut mixture. Continue to fold in the remaining egg whites; the batter will be much lighter.
- Bake at 325° for 20-25 min. Do not open the oven door during cooking as the torta could possibly collapse.
- When the torta is done, remove from the oven and run a knife around the edges. Flip out onto a cooling rack and then flip it back upright as the top is light and will stick to the cooling rack. Let the torta cool completely and serve with crème anglaise.
Notes
Crème Anglaise
Ingredients
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 pinch table salt
- 1 vanilla bean split or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine egg yolks, sugar and pinch of salt. Whisk until light in color.
- Heat milk and heavy cream (do not boil) and vanilla. Slowly add milk mixture into the egg mixture whisking constantly.
- Once all the milk is added place the saucepan over low heat and stir constantly until the custard thickens and forms a thin coat on the back of the spoon.
- Remove from heat and transfer custard to another container to cool. Once cool, refrigerate until ready to use.