As well as fruit trees, I benefit from having a hazel tree in my garden, which bears fruit every year. However, it is quite difficult to judge when to pick them: too early and they are bitter, too late and the squirrels have them. This year I timed it just right and beat the squirrels to it! Not everyone has a hazel tree in their garden, and when I’m not so lucky with the timing, I buy hazelnuts from the supermarket to make this cake which has a delicious flavour that goes perfectly with a cup of coffee.
Ingredients
- 225g clear honey
- 6 eggs separated
- 115g plain flour
- 115g ground hazelnuts (grind the nuts in a mini-chopper/food processor)
- 100ml milk
- Sifted icing sugar for dusting
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160Fan/gas 4
- Grease and line a 20cm loose bottomed cake tin
- Leaving the honey in the jar, place it in a saucepan of hot water to keep it runny
- Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff
- Put the egg yolks in a separate large bowl, pour over the honey and beat well until thoroughly mixed
- Gradually beat in the sifted flour and ground hazelnuts
- Stir in the milk
- Using a large metal spoon fold approximately one-third of the beaten egg whites into the mixture, then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites
- Pour into the prepared tin. Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean
- Leave to cool in the tin
- Dust the cake with sifted icing sugar (it’s best to leave this until just before you are about to serve, as the sugar has a tendency to dissolve, owing to the cake’s moisture).
