Havana Cake

Ingredients

350 g hazelnuts

10 tbsp sugar

2 egg yolks

100 g butter

3 tbsp flour

4 egg whites

For the filling:

3 tbsp gelatin

1000 ml milk

1 vanilla pod

15 tbsp sugar

500 g whipping cream

3 tbsp powdered sugar

First, prepare the caramelized nuts by melting and caramelizing the sugar over low heat. Add the nuts, stir quickly, and transfer to a sheet of parchment paper in a single layer. Once completely cool, puree in a food processor.

Filling: Soak the gelatin in 6 tbsp water. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the vanilla, seeds, and sugar to the milk and heat until almost boiling. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Dissolve the gelatin and mix it with the milk. Cover and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. The mixture should cool completely and set slightly (to the consistency of pudding or panna cotta). While the filling is cooling, you can prepare the cake layers.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line the bottom of a 22 cm tin with parchment paper. Beat the egg yolks with butter, then add the flour and 8 tablespoons of caramelized nuts. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 10-12 minutes.

For the middle layers, let the oven cool to 120°C. Line the bottoms of two cake tins with parchment paper. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold in 8 tablespoons of caramelized nuts in several batches.

Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then remove from the tins and peel off the parchment paper. If left in the tins for too long, the caramel will begin to melt, causing the cake to become soggy.

When the filling reaches the desired consistency, beat it with a mixer. In a separate bowl, whisk the cream with the powdered sugar and gently fold it into the milk mixture.

To assemble the cake, use a 24 cm diameter cake tin, the bottom and sides of which can be lined with parchment paper. Place the first layer of cake on the bottom, top it with 1/3 of the filling, then one of the meringue layers, another 1/3 of the filling, the second meringue layer, and the remaining filling.

You can refrigerate the cake or freeze it for a few days. It's very convenient to prepare this cake in advance. If you're serving it for afternoon tea, transfer it from the freezer to the refrigerator in the morning to allow it to defrost completely.

Decorate with the remaining nuts and, for example, chocolate.

Enjoy!