Rachel Roddy's Hazelnut Chocolate Cake: A Culinary Nod to Thomas Hardy
This week, Rachel Roddy presents a simple yet indulgent recipe for a hazelnut and chocolate cake, evoking a pastoral charm that harks back to the rustic joys of nutting in Thomas Hardy's era. The cake, a variation of the classic torta caprese, substitutes almonds with toasted hazelnuts or cobnuts, offering a rich, buttery flavour that deepens when baked.
Historical Inspiration from Hardy's Under the Greenwood Tree
The recipe draws inspiration from the opening of chapter four in Thomas Hardy's Under the Greenwood Tree, titled "Going Nutting." In this scene, Dick Dewy's passionate nutting expedition in Grey's Wood captures the essence of countryside life in Hardy's time. Nutting, the gathering of wild hazelnuts, was a cherished activity, much like the cultivation of cobnuts in Kent's golden triangle between Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, and Maidstone.
Today, dried cobnuts and hazelnuts, available from farms such as Potash Farm in St Mary's Platt and Roughway Farm in Tonbridge, lose their milky sweetness but gain a richer, more buttery profile when toasted. This recipe requires 250g of these nuts, processed into a rough flour to form the base of the cake.
Step-by-Step Baking Instructions
To begin, preheat your oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 and line a 24cm round cake tin with baking paper. In a food processor, pulse 250g of whole, shelled, toasted hazelnuts or cobnuts until they form a rough flour. Add 200g of roughly chopped dark chocolate and pulse again to create a sandy mixture.
In a separate bowl, beat together 200g of room temperature butter and 150g of caster sugar until soft and light. Gradually beat in four egg yolks, one by one, then stir in the chocolate-nut mixture along with an optional two tablespoons of plain flour. Whisk four egg whites in another bowl until stiff peaks form, then carefully fold them into the batter to ensure a light, airy texture.
Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until the cake is mostly firm with a tender, slightly wobbly centre. Do not be alarmed if the cake sinks slightly in the middle—this is expected and adds to its rustic charm.
Serving Suggestions and Final Touches
Once baked, allow the cake to cool in the tin for a while before carefully turning it out onto a cooling rack. For a finishing touch, dust heavily with icing sugar. Serve with a spoonful of cold cream or, for an enhanced experience, pair it with hazelnut ice-cream. This dessert not only delights the palate but also ties back to Hardy's narrative, where Fancy Day eventually reconciles with Dick Dewy, though they forget their bag of nuts among the brambles—a whimsical end to a hearty tale.
This hazelnut and chocolate cake recipe is a testament to the enduring appeal of simple, nut-based desserts, blending literary history with culinary artistry for a truly memorable treat.
