Torta di Nocciole

• servings: 6-7
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: ~1 hour

Ingredients

250 grams whole raw hazelnuts (1¾ cups, no need to blanch or roast)

¾ cup of sugar

4 medium eggs, separated

Pinch of salt

Bit of butter and flour (for preparing the pan, use GF flour for gluten-free)

Powdered sugar for serving

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 C).

Add the hazelnuts and sugar to a food processor, and pulse until you get a sand-like texture (if you want to be traditional). You can go more coarse or fine here, it will just change the final texture of your cake.

Transfer the hazelnuts and sugar to a large mixing bowl, and add in the yolks from 4 eggs.

In a separate bowl, beat the whites from the 4 eggs until they form stiff peaks. With a rubber spatula or other smooth instrument, fold the whipped egg whites into the hazelnut mixture ⅓ at a time, trying to preserve as much air as possible.

Grease an 8 in cake pan with a bit of butter and then sprinkle flour over it, tapping over a trash can or sink to get all the loose flour out. Be sure to get the sides too! This is a typical process to stop cakes from sticking to the pan.

Pour your now fully combined hazelnut mixture into the cake pan. Tap the pan gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes, or until it has a nice color and is fully cooked in the middle.

Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes. Take a butter knife and carefully loosen the sides from the pan before taking it out, even when using a springform pan (this cake tends to stick a bit).

Dust the now cooled cake with a thin layer of powdered sugar, and serve with whipped cream if desired.

Notes

A super simple flourless Italian cake made from hazelnuts. The Piemonte region in northern Italy is famous for their hazelnuts, which is where this cake comes from. This shocking small list of ingredients, basically just 3, creates a nice cake that’s not too sweet. I personally like serving it with a little bit of whipped cream to add some moisture, but do whatever sounds best to you! It’s gluten-free as a plus.