Chocolate-Hazelnut Nutcracker Cake

Photo: Jo Ann

Ingredients

Ingredients:

1 cup skinned hazelnuts (about 4 ounces)

10 whole graham crackers (5 & 1/2 ounces), broken into pieces

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely grated

10 eggs, separated

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking powder

Rum syrup (recipe below)

Creme Chantilly (recipe below)

Chocolate curls, for decoration

Ingredients for Rum Syrup:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup dark rum

Ingredients for Creme Chantilly:

2 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper. Dust with flour; tap out any excess.

Spread the nuts out on a baking sheet and toast for 10 to 12 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned. Let cool completely. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a food processor, grind the graham crackers to crumbs. Dump into a bowl and set aside. Without rinsing the processor, add the hazelnuts and 1/4 cup of the sugar to the work bowl and pulse until the nuts are finely ground; do not overprocess to a paste. Add the nuts and grated chocolate to the graham cracker crumbs. Toss together well.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the sugar until well blended. Add the oil and vanilla and continue beating until a slowly dissolving ribbon forms when the beaters are lifted. Fold in the chocolate-nut-crumb mixture.

Put the egg whites in a large, clean mixer bowl. With and electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue beating on high speed until the whites form stiff peaks. Fold a third of the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Using a sieve or sifter, dust the flour, pumpkin pie spice, and baking powder over the batter and fold int. Gently fold in the remainder of the egg whites just until no streaks remain; do not overmix. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared cake pans.

Bake the cake layers for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean. Let the layers cool in their pans on wire racks for about 10 minutes; then turn out onto rack to cool completely at least 1 hour.

To assemble the cake, place a layer on a cake stand or serving plate, flat side up. Sprinkle with a third of the Rum Syrup and let it soak in for a minute or two. Spread 3/4 cup Creme Chantilly over the layer, smoothing it right to the edge. Repeat these steps with the second layer. Finally, add the third layer, sprinkle it with syrup, and let it soak in as before. Spread the remaining Creme Chantilly over the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with chocolate curls.

Directions for Rum Syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the rum. Let cool before using.

Directions for Creme Chantilly: Combine the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a chilled bowl and whip until the cream is stiff but not buttery.

Baker's Note:

To grate chocolate finely without causing it to soften and become messy, refrigerate or freeze the chocolate until thoroughly chilled before grating.