Hazelnut Gâteau Breton (Brittany France)

Submitted by GiddyUpGo

"This recipe was featured on week 38 of my food blog, "Travel by Stove." I am attempting to cook one meal from every nation on Earth (and some regions), and Brittany, France is my 38th stop. Unless otherwise noted, my Travel by Stove recipes are taken from authentic or traditional sources, and this recipe has been posted without any alternations or additions to the ingredients. This recipe originally appeared in Bon Appetit Magazine."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Serves: 8-10

ingredients

• 1 1⁄4 cups sugar
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted, husked
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 cup salted butter, melted
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 2 teaspoons water (for glaze)
• 20 strawberries

directions

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees, and butter a 9-inch springform pan.
2. Mix the sugar with the vanilla extract to make vanilla sugar. Make sure to break apart any lumps that form.
3. Now mix 2 tbsp of the vanilla sugar with the hazelnuts. Add them to a food processor or grinder and blend until the nuts form a fine powder.
4. Mix the 6 egg yolks with the rest of the vanilla sugar and whisk for 2 minutes. Then add the hazelnut mixture, then gradually add the melted butter. Keep whisking.
5. Now sift the flour over the batter and stir gently until just blended. Don't overmix; this is a thick batter and you don't want it to turn out rock hard.
6. Put the batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Brush the egg glaze over the top, then draw some cross hatches with a fork.
7. Bake at 325 for about an hour, or until the cake is golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes, then loosen the springform pan and allow to cool completely. Serve with whole strawberries.