Strawberry Hazelnut Cake

A Detailed Guide to Making the Strawberry Hazelnut Cake

This recipe creates a stunning layered cake: a nutty base, a creamy mousse ring, and a center filled with fresh strawberry compote, all wrapped in a delicate chocolate belt.

Serves: 6-8

Part 1: The Hazelnut Cake Base

A moist and crunchy base inspired by the Danish Christianshavnerkage.

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Process Hazelnuts: Take 50 g of the roasted hazelnuts and pulse them in a mini chopper until finely ground (hazelnut flour). Take the remaining 50 g and chop them coarsely.
2. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, combine the finely ground hazelnuts, coarsely chopped hazelnuts, and sugar.
3. Crush Biscuits: Place the oat biscuits in a plastic bag and crush them into crumbs using a rolling pin. Add the crumbs and salt to the bowl with the nut mixture.
4. Add Egg: Crack the egg into the mixture and stir until everything is well combined.
5. Prepare Ring: Place a cake ring (14 cm diameter) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake: Transfer the batter into the ring and smooth the surface with a palette knife. Bake at 175°C for approximately 20 minutes until golden.
7. Cool: Let the cake cool completely before removing the ring.

Part 2: The Strawberry Mousse

This mousse is used in two ways: to coat the base and to create a decorative top ring.

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Prepare Gelatine: Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for about 10 minutes.
2. Melt Chocolate: Melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a bain-marie (simmering water). Remove from heat.
3. Heat Purée: Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod. In a small saucepan, bring the strawberry purée, lemon juice, and vanilla seeds to a boil. Remove from heat.
4. Combine: Squeeze excess water from the gelatine and stir it into the hot strawberry purée.
5. Emulsify: Pour the hot purée over the melted chocolate. Stir in the center with a spatula until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Use a hand blender to ensure a perfect emulsion. Let it cool slightly (to approx 35-40°C).
6. Whip Cream: Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks.
7. Fold: Gently fold a small amount of whipped cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then carefully fold in the rest of the cream until smooth.

Part 3: Mousse Assembly & Freezing

This cake requires a specific molding technique to create a hollow center for the fruit.

Equipment Needed:

• 1 x Round silicone mould (16 cm diameter)
• 1 x Cake ring (12 cm diameter)
• Another Round silicone mould (16 cm diameter) OR simply clean the first one if you don’t have two.

Method:

1. Create the Top Ring: Place the 12 cm cake ring exactly in the center of a 16 cm silicone mould. This creates a 2cm gap around the edge. Fill this gap with approximately 100 g of the mousse. Freezing this creates the “walls” of the cake.
2. Create the Base: Pour the remaining mousse into a separate 16 cm silicone mould (or the same one if you wait for the ring to freeze and unmold it first). Gently press the baked Hazelnut Cake (from Part 1) down into this mousse so it is embedded.
3. Freeze: Place both the mousse ring and the mousse-filled base in the freezer overnight.

Part 4: Assembly Phase 1

1. Unmold: Remove the base (cake + mousse) from the mold and place it on a serving plate.
2. Stack: Remove the frozen mousse ring from its mold/metal ring and place it carefully on top of the base.
3. Thaw: Place the assembled cake in the refrigerator to thaw while you prepare the compote.

Part 5: Strawberry Compote

This fills the hollow center created by the mousse ring.

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Prepare Fresh Fruit: Slice the fresh strawberries and arrange them inside the hollow center of the mousse ring on top of the cake.
2. Mix Pectin: In a small bowl, mix the sugar and pectin together (this prevents lumps).
3. Heat Base: In a saucepan, heat the strawberry purée, lemon juice, and vanilla seeds to 40°C.
4. Combine: Stir in the pectin-sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for a few minutes.
5. Cool & Pour: Remove from heat and let it cool slightly (so it doesn’t melt the mousse). Pour or spread this compote over the fresh strawberry slices in the center of the cake.

Part 6: The Chocolate Belt

A professional finishing touch that hides the seam between layers.

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Temper: Melt and temper the white chocolate. Stir in the pink food coloring and vanilla seeds.
2. Spread: Cut a strip of acetate plastic measuring 51 cm long and approx. 5 cm high (ensure it is high enough to cover the side of the cake). Spread a thin, even layer of the tempered chocolate onto the acetate.
3. Set Slightly: Lift the acetate strip off the table and wait a moment. You want the chocolate to lose its shine and start to set, but still be flexible.
4. Shape: Pick up the strip and wrap it around a clean 16 cm cake ring (tape it gently if necessary). Place in the fridge for a short while until hard.
5. Apply: Carefully remove the acetate from the chocolate, then slide the chocolate ring off the metal ring and place it around the cake.

Part 7: Decoration

Ingredients:

• Forget-me-nots (edible flowers)

Method:

1. Decorate the top of the cake with forget-me-nots just before serving.

Tips

• Removing the Ring: If the metal ring inside the mousse is stuck after freezing, use a blow torch to briefly warm the inside of the metal ring; it will slide right off.
• Hiding Seams: Make sure your chocolate belt is wide (tall) enough to cover the seam where the top mousse ring meets the bottom mousse base.