Inspired and adapted from one of my favourite’s by Donna Hay…
These days, I’m of the opinion that there is enough chocolate around at Easter to ever feel the need to make anything too sickly or chocolatey for dessert too. I prefer something a little more sedate, flecked with hazelnuts and sweetened with honey, with the gentlest nod to spring from beautifully sweet and sour perfumed Amalfi lemons and bright pink forced rhubarb. The kids are already filled to the eyeballs with easter eggs and possibly way too excited to even notice this more reserved honey and nut torte – but that’s OK – more leftover for us grown ups!
Courtesy of Cook Folk
Ingredients
Torte:
- 1 cup ground hazelnuts
- 2 cups ground almonds
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 eggs, whisked
- ¾ cup honey
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Grated zest of two lemons
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- A few fresh thyme leaves, picked
- ¼ cup lemon juice
Compote:
- 500g rhubarb (pink forced of you can get it)
- 100g golden caster sugar
- 1tp vanilla
To serve:
- 1 tub of ricotta / creme fraiche
- Freshly grated orange zest
- Fresh thyme leaves, picked
- A drizzle of best olive oil
- Candied hazelnuts, chopped (homemade or shop bought)
Method
Torte
- Pre-heat oven 170C (150C fan)
- Line the springform tin with baking parchment
- Mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl
- Mix the dry ingredients together in another and then fold them both together till uniformly combined
- Cook for 1 hour or until an inserted skewer comes out clean
- Allow to cool slightly before turning out
Compote
- Cut the rhubarb into evenly sized pieces and add to a lidded pan with the sugar and vanilla and allow to cook down for 15-20 minutes until nicely softened
- Allow to cool and set aside (this will last in your fridge for around a week)
- Serve the cake with the compote and some fresh ricotta or creme fraiche drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with some finely chopped candied hazelnuts and fresh thyme leaves
Equipment checklist
- Deep sided 20cm round springform tin
- Compostable baking paper
- Measuring cups
- Weighing scales
- Small saucepan
- Cake stand or serving plate