A T-day hit. From “A Platter of Figs,” by David Tanis.
Ingredients
- 1 pound shelled hazelnuts
- 8 large eggs, separated
- 3/4 cup sugar
- Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons cake flour, matzo meal or dry bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 10-inch springform pan with a round of parchment paper and set aside. Roast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet for 10 minutes, or until the skins blister and the nuts are lightly toasted. Put the roasted nuts in a dry dish towel and rub them together to remove the blistered skins. When the hazelnuts are cool, coarsely chop in a food processor or with a nut grinder.
In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until creamy. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, flour, salt and chopped nuts and mix well. Whip the egg whites until stiff. Stir one-third of the whites into the batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the rest of the whites.
Scrape the batter into the cake pan and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Turn the oven down to 325 and bake until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes more. Let the cake cool completely on a rack before unmolding.
