lactose and fructose free mocha hazelnut cake

Incredibly delicious for a birthday or a treat on the weekend.

Preparation time: 1.5 hours + 40 minutes oven time

Ingredients:
For the cake:

• 5 egg whites
• 120 grams of sugar (for fructose free: sugar from dried glucose syrup)
• 5 egg yolks
• zest grated from 1/2 lemon
• 100 grams flour, sifted
• 15 grams cornstarch, sifted
• 100 grams hazelnuts, chopped

For the mocha filling:

• 2 drops of lactase
• 300 ml milk
• 1 vanilla pod, marrow scraped out
• 2 leaves of gelatin
• 3 egg yolks
• 25 grams of cornstarch
• 50 grams of sugar (for fructose free: sugar from dried glucose syrup)
• 200 grams lactose-free butter at room temperature
• 50 ml very strong coffee, cooled

For the mocha cream:

• 250 grams of lactose free butter at room temperature
• 100 grams of sugar (for fructose free: sugar from dried glucose syrup)
• 50 ml very strong coffee, cooled

Extra:

• Greased baking tin 20-22 cm
• Mixer/kitchen aid with whisk
• One small piping bag
• One piping bag with serrated nozzle

Preparation: put 2 drops of lactase into 300 ml of milk, stir well, cover and leave in the fridge for 24 hours. After this, your milk is lactose-free and can be used for the cake.

Method:
1: preheat the oven to 160°C.
2: For the cake, beat the egg whites with a mixer or in the kitchen aid until almost stiff. Add the sugar in sections and beat until the egg whites are stiff and shiny.
3:  Beat the egg yolks and the lemon zest with a whisk and briefly beat them into the stiffly beaten egg whites.
4:  Fold in the flour and cornstarch and spoon the batter into the greased baking tin.
5:  Bake the cake for 30-40 minutes in the preheated oven. Pour the cake onto a cake rack and let it cool completely.
6: For the mocha filling, bring the milk with the vanilla pod and vanilla marrow to just boiling point in a saucepan. Let this brew for 10 minutes.
7:  Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water for 10 minutes.
8:  Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and cornstarch with the mixer or in the kitchen aid for 3-4 minutes until white and creamy.
9:  Add a dash of the warm milk, stir until smooth, and pour in the rest of the milk through a sieve. Pour this back into the pan and let it cook, stirring with a whisk, on a low heat until it is combined.
10:  Remove the pan from the heat and dissolve the squeezed-out gelatin leaves into it.
11:  Add the butter and coffee and beat with a mixer or in the kitchen aid with a whisk until smooth.
12:  Let this cool in the refrigerator until the filling is firm.
13:  For the mocha cream, beat the butter and sugar with a mixer or kitchen aid with a whisk for 3-4 minutes until white and creamy. Add the coffee and ¼ of the mocha filling and beat on a low setting until you have a smooth cream. Set aside, covered, at room temperature until further use.
14:  Slice the cake open lengthways. Fill a small piping bag with 3 tablespoons of the mocha cream and pipe it around the outside of the bottom half.
15:  Spread the remaining mocha filling on the bottom half and spread evenly.
16:  Place the top half back on top and press gently. Using a palette knife, brush the outside and top of the cake with a layer of mocha cream.
17:  Place the cake on a large plate and sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts all over the cake. Sprinkle with hazelnuts including the sides, until it is completely covered. Wipe off any hazelnuts that remain on the plate.
18: Put the rest of the mocha cream in a piping bag and, with a serrated nozzle, pipe swirls onto the mocha cake. Sprinkle with some chopped hazelnuts and some shaved lactose and fructose free chocolate if desired.

Making this delicious lactose and fructose free mocha hazelnut cake takes some time, but it’s worth it! Enjoy!