Hazelnut and Coffee Cake by Kait Wakefield

Craving coffee but also craving cake? Kait Wakefield has you covered with 3 layers of decedent hazelnut and coffee cake!

Ingredients

Hazelnut and Coffee Cake

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Amoretti® Natural Hazelnut Flour
• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 tsp Amoretti® Natural Espresso Coffee Artisan Flavor
• 1 cup milk room temperature

Hazelnut and Coffee Buttercream

• 2 Cups unsalted butter at room temperature
• ½ cup Amoretti Hazelnut Flour
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp Amoretti® Natural Espresso Artisan Coffee Flavor
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Assembly

• Amoretti® Espresso Mocha Ganache
• Whole and chopped hazelnuts

Directions

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 6" cake rounds and line with parchment.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, hazelnut flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
3. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on med-high until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time.
4. Add Espresso Coffee Natural Flavor.
5. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Be careful to not overmix!
6. Bake for about 30-35mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Allow cake to cool completely before assembly. To avoid crumbs in the buttercream, it is best to freeze or refrigerate until the cake is slightly cold.

Buttercream

1. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter until very pale and fluffy.
2. With mixer on low, add in hazelnut flour. Once incorporated, increase speed.
3. Add in powered sugar, one cup at a time.
4. Add in extract and natural flavor and cream. Beat on high until buttercream is super light and fluffy.

Assembly

1. Trim cakes so that the tops are flat.
2. Use a piping bag to pip a border around the edge of your cake. Fill border half-way with buttercream, spreading evenly
3. Use Amoretti Espresso Mocha ganache to fill the rest of the border.
4. Place next layer on top and repeat!
5. Once all three layers are on the cake, cover the cake with the buttercream, and use a cake scraper or large offset spatula to smooth the buttercream.
6. Using an M1 piping tip, pipe 8 roses on top of the cake. Top each one with a hazelnut.
7. Optional: use crushed hazelnuts around the base of the cake!