Roasted Hazelnut and Rosemary Cake

, from Issue #77. November, 2017
Photography by Josh Griggs.
Roasted Hazelnut and Rosemary Cake

A fabulous alternative for those without a sweet tooth. Splash out and buy gorgeous cheeses to serve alongside.

INGREDIENTS

180 grams butter, very soft but not melted
180 grams brown sugar
finely grated zest 1 orange
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary, plus extra sprigs to garnish
3 large eggs, size 7, lightly whisked
180 grams plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
150 grams hazelnuts, roasted and roughly chopped
To serve
a ripe blue and a washed rind cheese
Muscatels in Marsala Syrup, see recipe below


Muscatels in Marsala Syrup
1 cup marsala wine
⅓ cup caster sugar
½ cup water
1 cinnamon stick
300 grams muscatels

METHOD

Grease a 20cm-square cake tin and fully line with baking paper.

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake.

Beat the butter, sugar, orange zest and chopped rosemary until light and fluffy.

Gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time, making sure each addition is well combined.

Combine the flour, baking powder and hazelnuts and fold into the mixture, ensuring there are no pockets of flour in the batter.

Spoon into the tin and smooth the top. Run the rosemary sprigs under the cold tap then shake off excess water and place on top of the batter. Bake for about 30 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin.

To serve: Place on a platter with the cheeses. Serve the Muscatels in Marsala Syrup separately in a bowl.


Muscatels in Marsala Syrup
Place marsala, sugar, water and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan and stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the muscatels and cook for 5 minutes. Cool, gently turning the muscatels occasionally in the syrup.