I’m pulling this from the archives today. Made almost two years ago with a crispy cracking top to it and some fun espresso crazy drizzling vibes. Very memorable cake for me, enjoy <3
Toasted Hazelnut Butternut Squash Cake with Espresso Icing | serves 8
Recipe published by Food + Wine
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
7 ounces hazelnuts, about 1 1/3 cups
3 large eggs
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup demerara sugar plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
1/2 cup puréed butternut squash, may substitute with pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons from freshly pulled shot of espresso
2 teaspoons dairy or nut milk – I used almond
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
MAKE THE CAKE
Preheat the oven to 325° and line the bottom of a deep 8 1/2-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt and set aside.
In a small frying pan over medium heat, toast the hazelnuts until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer half of the nuts to a small food processor and pulse until a coarsely ground flour forms. Roughly chop the remaining hazelnuts over a cutting board into small sized pieces. Add both the hazelnut meal and loosely chopped pieces to the bowl of dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugars, coconut oil, pumpkin puree, and vanilla until very smooth. Gently fold in the dry ingredients until incorporated. Using a spatula, scrape the batter into the parchment lined pan. Smooth out the surface of the cake batter with the spatula and sprinkle the remaining two tablespoons of demerara sugar evenly over the top.
Bake for 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top of the cake should be crispy and cracked from the scattered sugar coating. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan. Gently peel off the parchment paper from the bottom and let stand.
MAKE THE ICING
Mix the confectioner’s sugar, espresso, almond milk, maple syrup, and salt together until smooth. Drizzle over the cake and serve.
this sounds amazing! never used butternut squash in baking before (but i imagine it’s similar to pumpkin). you had me at “toasted hazelnut.”
Thank you Heather!! xo
I seriously love everything about this cake.. from the toasted hazelnuts to that delicious glaze. I have to make it Xx
aw thankssss Thalia!! Loving your s’mores cakes right now they look perfect. x
Luv this yummy cake with a nice early morning latte…. Have to have it again soon!!!
xoooo
So beautiful and tasty looking, icing sounds amazing!!
love the gaggia classic. moose reserve 1987. the icing was amazing
umm, this looks amazing! I actually just bought hazelnuts and need to make this! love the drizzle of espresso icing on top,
You’re the best Chaya thank you. Needing those fritters you have up. x
OK, this cake sounds ridiculously good. I don’t know how I’ve lived my life until now without this…
Thanks Jerry!