- Yield: 1 cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups (260g) hazelnuts
- 240 grams all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 300 grams granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 20 grams plain yogurt
- 190 grams buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk
For the syrup:
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon orange blossom extract
For frosting:
- 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I use Rodelle
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Blue food coloring
Optional:
- Candied orange peels
Instructions
For cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes or until fragrant. Do not over-toast them.
- Let cool, then grind in a food processor until they are a fine powder. Add to a medium bowl and mix in all remaining dry ingredients for cake, through salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, beating well after each addition. Stir in buttermilk, yogurt, and vanilla.
- Alternatively add in milk and dry ingredients, mixing well until everything is combined. Scrape down the bowl and make sure batter is smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly between two prepared pans. Tap the pans a few times against the counter to get rid of air bubbles. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks.
For syrup:
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water and heat until sugar is dissolved. Stir in orange blossom extract.
For frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter over medium speed.
- Add the cream cheese and beat until completely smooth.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar, in thirds, mixing on low speed until combined.
- Add the vanilla and salt, and beat on medium speed until smooth.
- Add ~1 cup of frosting to a small bowl and ~1 cup of frosting to another bowl. Stir in the the blue food coloring, making the pigment to your liking.
For assembly:
- Place one cake layer on the cake stand. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the cake with half of the orange syrup. Spread about 3/4 cup of the white frosting over the cake.
- Top with the second cake later and brush with the remaining orange syrup.
- Using an offset spatula, use the white frosting to create a very thin crumb coat layer and chill for 20 minutes.
- While cake is chilling, take 3 piping bangs, filling one with the darkest blue frosting, one with the medium blue, and one with the white frosting.
- Remove cake from fridge and pipe 1-2 large rings of each color of frosting around the cake, finishing with white frosting on top. Smooth with an offset spatula, wiping after each use.
- Top with candied orange peels if desired.
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