October is National Dessert Month. As if I needed national recognition for my favorite food category to make or eat dessert! For as long as I can remember, I have always taken dessert into account before eating dinner. When we are out to eat for dinner, I check the dessert menu before ordering my meal. If I decide there is a dessert worth splurging on, I plan on a lighter dinner or an appetizer and salad as my dinner. While I try to show restraint in the number of desserts I post here each month, there will probably be more than usual this October! First up, is a gluten-free cake using one of my favorite nuts.

One of the first things I do when we move to a new home in a different region of the country is to join the National Arbor Day Foundation. They are a terrific source for native plants and a great resource on all aspects of those plants. I was thrilled to learn that hazelnuts would grow in Connecticut’s climate when we moved back here a few years ago. I learned all about them through the Arbor Day Foundation’s Hazelnut Project. I was intrigued by the project and up for the challenge of growing some at our new home. The 12″ bare root twigs I received have flourished into big healthy bushes in the few years since I planted them. They haven’t produced any nuts for us yet, but I’m confident that we will have bushels of them when they do. I will be ready to make the most of my harvest with this delectable dessert!

Hazelnut Cake  (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Makes 1 9-inch, 2 layer cake, about 12 servings, Prep time: 30 minutes, Bake time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces hazelnuts
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 6 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 tablespoons Frangelica (hazelnut liqueur)
• 1/8 cup chopped hazelnuts, for garnish
• chocolate curls, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325º F. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan. Grind the hazelnuts until they are very fine. Add the baking powder and set it aside.

In a large bowl, whip the egg yolks with the 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar until they are pale yellow in color. Beat in the ground hazelnut mixture.

In a clean bowl of an electric mixer with a wire whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until they are stiff. Quickly fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk mixture by hand, then add the remaining egg whites and fold them in until no streaks remain.

Pour the batter into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake the cake in a preheated oven for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when it is lightly tapped.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove the sides of the springform pan and allow the cake to cool completely.

When the cake is cool, slice it horizontally into 2 layers. Whip the cream with 2 the tablespoons of sugar and the Frangelica, until it is stiff.

Generously spread the whipped cream between the layers, on top of and on the sides of the cake. Sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts on top and add chocolate curls for decoration, if desired.

I eat dessert first when this is in the house!  ~Linda

Hazelnut Cake  (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Makes 1 9-inch, 2 layer cake, about 12 servings, Prep time: 30 minutes, Bake time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces hazelnuts
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 6 egg, separated
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 tablespoons Frangelica (hazelnut liqueur)
• 1/8 cup chopped hazelnuts, for garnish
• chocolate curls, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325º F. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan. Grind the hazelnuts until they are very fine. Add the baking powder and set it aside.

In a large bowl, whip the egg yolks with the 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar until they are pale yellow in color. Beat in the ground hazelnut mixture.

In a clean bowl of an electric mixer with a wire whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until they are stiff. Quickly fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk mixture by hand, then add the remaining egg whites and fold them in until no streaks remain.

Pour the batter into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake the cake in a preheated oven for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when it is lightly tapped. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove the sides of the springform pan and allow the cake to cool completely.

When the cake is cool, slice it horizontally into 2 layers. Whip the cream with 2 the tablespoons of sugar and the Frangelica, until it is stiff. Generously spread the whipped cream between the layers, on top of and on the sides of the cake. Sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts on top and add chocolate curls for decoration, if desired.