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Gâteau Creusois

A meringue-based, hazelnut cake from France, this is a super quick and easy, yet surprisingly rich and decadent, bake that makes for a delicious dessert or treat any time of year.
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine French
Keyword Cake, Hazelnut, Meringue
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 12

Equipment

  • 1 8-inch round cake tin

Ingredients

  • 120 g hazelnuts, toasted and finely ground (see Note 1).
  • 150 g caster sugar
  • 80 g plain flour
  • 125 g butter, melted and cooled (see Note 2).
  • 4 egg whites
  • Icing sugar, for dusting (optional).

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease and line an 8-inch round tin with baking paper and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the ground hazelnuts, caster sugar and plain flour, until well combined.
  • Add the cooled, melted butter to the dry ingredients and mix until you have a nutty, paste-like mixture.
  • In a large, metal bowl (I used a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment), whip the egg whites until they have just reached stiff peaks. The whites should hold their shape, but not look too dry.
  • Add a large spoonful of the whipped egg whites to the nut mixture and mix in vigorously to loosen the mixture.
  • Add the remaining egg whites and fold in, using a large metal spoon, until no streaks remain and you have a thick, even batter.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared tin and level out the surface. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the surface is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
  • Allow the cake to cool for 5-10 minutes only before removing from the tin and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Once cool, dust liberally with icing sugar (if desired) and serve. You can serve the cake plain, or with an accompaniment: vanilla custard is traditional, but a spoonful of whipped cream and some fresh berries is also delicious. The cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 4 days.

Notes

  1. To toast/grind the hazelnuts:
Toast the nuts in an oven/airfryer set to 180°C for about 5 minutes, until very golden and smelling super nutty (you can also toast the nuts in a dry pan on the hob, though you won't get quite as intense a flavour with this method). 
Allow the nuts to cool completely before transferring to a food processor to grind them. Aim for quite a fine grind, but don't worry if there are some stubborn, larger pieces— they'll just add texture! Be careful not to over-grind the nuts, or you might end up with hazelnut butter instead.
2. You can use unsalted or salted butter for this recipe— whichever you have on hand.