Oliver Coysh and Tom Oxford of Exploding Bakery in Exeter share their recipe for Nutcracker cake
explodingbakery.com
Makes 1 tray
Oven temp 150°C / gas 3.5
22cm × 33cm × 5cm baking tray
For the cake:
Free‑range eggs 6 medium
Caster sugar 125g
Light brown soft sugar 125g
Vanilla extract 1 tsp
Somerset cider brandy 50ml (optional)
Dark chocolate 300g, broken into pieces
Butter 100g
Whole hazelnuts 250g
Walnut pieces 250g
Ground almonds 100g
Ground cinnamon 2 tsp
Candied orange peel 50g, finely chopped
Salt ½ tsp
To finish:
Icing sugar 15g
- For the cake: preheat the oven to 150°C / gas 3.5. Line the baking tray with parchment.
- Crack the eggs into a stand mixer or large mixing bowl and beat until foamy. Add both sugars a little at a time, beating between each addition, followed by the vanilla and the cider brandy (if you fancy it).
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a bain‑marie. Once melted, slowly stir into the egg mixture until smooth and glossy.
- Put the hazelnuts and walnuts in a food processor and whizz on and off until the nuts have a gravelly texture. If you don’t have a food processor, wrap the nuts in a tea towel and bash with a rolling pin.
- Transfer the broken nuts into a mixing bowl and add the ground almonds, cinnamon, candied orange and salt. Mix, then pour the chocolate mixture into the nut mixture and stir through so everything is combined.
- Pour the mixture into the lined tray and bake for 30 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. If the cake is browning too quickly, reduce the temperature slightly or cover with foil. Leave to cool in the baking tray.
- To finish: once the cake is cool, remove from the tray and dust generously with icing sugar. The cake will keep for 2 weeks when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
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You will need
22cm × 33cm × 5cm baking tray
For the cake:
Free‑range eggs 6 medium
Caster sugar 125g
Light brown soft sugar 125g
Vanilla extract 1 tsp
Somerset cider brandy 50ml (optional)
Dark chocolate 300g, broken into pieces
Butter 100g
Whole hazelnuts 250g
Walnut pieces 250g
Ground almonds 100g
Ground cinnamon 2 tsp
Candied orange peel 50g, finely chopped
Salt ½ tsp
To finish:
Icing sugar 15g
Method
- For the cake: preheat the oven to 150°C / gas 3.5. Line the baking tray with parchment.
- Crack the eggs into a stand mixer or large mixing bowl and beat until foamy. Add both sugars a little at a time, beating between each addition, followed by the vanilla and the cider brandy (if you fancy it).
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a bain‑marie. Once melted, slowly stir into the egg mixture until smooth and glossy.
- Put the hazelnuts and walnuts in a food processor and whizz on and off until the nuts have a gravelly texture. If you don’t have a food processor, wrap the nuts in a tea towel and bash with a rolling pin.
- Transfer the broken nuts into a mixing bowl and add the ground almonds, cinnamon, candied orange and salt. Mix, then pour the chocolate mixture into the nut mixture and stir through so everything is combined.
- Pour the mixture into the lined tray and bake for 30 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. If the cake is browning too quickly, reduce the temperature slightly or cover with foil. Leave to cool in the baking tray.
- To finish: once the cake is cool, remove from the tray and dust generously with icing sugar. The cake will keep for 2 weeks when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
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