Like most old-school Italian recipes, Piedmont-style hazelnut cake is rooted in the country's cucina povera, Italy's waste-free “poor cooking” style. The high cost of flour prompted the Piedmontese to forego it altogether and begin crafting cakes from one of the territory's most celebrated delights: hazelnuts. Each autumn, locals would scour the woods to collect any hazelnuts leftover from the abundant summer harvest, and the torta di nocciole was born.
Nowadays, this popular dessert has dozens of iterations, many of which even incorporate flour. The Tonda Gentile Trilobata IGP from the Langhe, considered by many as the best in the world, is Piedmont's most popular hazelnuts.
Harvesting hazelnuts like wine: the Ceretto method
Enrico Crippa, the chef of the three-star Michelin-rated Piazza Duomo restaurant in Alba, collaborates frequently with the Cerettos, a local family who started producing wine in the 1930s. Over the years, they expanded their operations. Relanghe, their confectionery company founded in 1994, focuses on hazelnut production. They also work with artists and designers to curate exhibits around Alba.
The Cerettos implement winemaking techniques into their cultivation of Tonda Gentile Trilobata PGI hazelnuts, a rigorous manual process. Roasting, the most crucial step, occurs at a precisely calibrated temperature during which the hazelnuts undergo continuous movement, with extra care taken so that none break. This results in a delicate, distinct hazelnut with an intense, enduring aroma.
Hazelnut cake from a non-Piedmontese
Born and raised in Brianza, an area located at the foot of the Alps in northwest Lombardy, Enrico Crippa trained under Gualtiero Marchesi, the first Italian chef to earn three Michelin stars, and also abroad in Japan. In 2005, he met the Ceretto family, who were seeking a chef who could take whose philosophy and devotion to the territory matched theirs. Today Crippa's award-winning cuisine is based on supply chain control and the study of crops. His epic vegetable garden and greenhouse are the basis of his scrupulous research of raw materials.
Crippa created this hazelnut cake for Relanghe. "The challenge was to interpret one of the most famous and traditional sweets, the one that every Piedmontese woman creates and passes down from generation to generation," says Crippa, whose hazelnut cake pays homage to the original version. "It was love at first sight and my recipe pays tribute to the hazelnut from the Langhe and its role as a symbol of the city of Alba."
Hazelnut cake recipe
Staying faithful to tradition, the recipe for Crippa's Hazelnut cake for Relanghe changes some of the typical characteristics of the original version, such as the excessive crumbliness and general dryness — the kind that makes you reach for a glass of milk to be able to swallow it. His version includes more eggs, which results in a soft, flavorful, flour-free cake that showcases the delicate flavor of Piedmontese hazelnuts. Enjoy it as a dessert with a glass of Muscat or for an afternoon snack with tea or coffee.
Enrico Crippa's Hazelnut Cake
Note: We suggest using a scale to measure the ingredients. The quantities are in both grams and ounces. The ingredients also call for a specific kind of hazelnut. If you can't source it, then use whatever you have at your disposal.
For two 9″ pans
Ingredients:
3½ oz./100 g. Piedmont Hazelnut paste PGI
7 oz./200 g. Piedmont Hazelnut flour PGI, sifted
7 oz./200 g. Piedmont Hazelnuts PGI
10½ oz./300 g. butter, softened
6½ oz./180 g. sugar
14 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
1 Tbsp./15 g. baking powder
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Separate the yolks from the egg whites.
Whip the butter with 5 oz./140 g. sugar and the hazelnut paste.
The crucial step: Gently add the yolks, one at a time, until they are completely absorbed.
Add the sifted hazelnut flour. Once incorporated, add the hazelnuts and baking powder.
Start whisking the egg whites, add the remaining sugar, finish whisking.
Gently mix the egg whites with the rest of the dough, ensuring the mixture is properly whipped.
Grease a baking pan with butter then dust with flour. Pour the mixture into the baking pan then place in the oven. Lower the temperature to 335°F and let cook for 40 minutes. Allow cooling before serving.