Taryn Newland

This week, when I photographed a range of baked goods to make into greeting cards for our school fete, I made our family's special Hazelnut Spice Cake.

SO if you're after a super-yummy little-bit-different treat for the weekend...here you go!

Hazel Nut Spice Cake

6 oz butter
8 oz castor sugar
3 eggs - separated
pinch salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 1/2 cups SR flour
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons boiling water

Spice Layers

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 dessertspoon cocoa
2 tablespoons sugar

Method

Cream butter and sugar, beat in egg yolks. Add salt, lemon rind and juice. Gradually add SR flour alternately with milk, blend well. Lightly stir in boiling water then fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Mix spice layer ingredients together. Spread 1/3 cake batter in greased 8" or 9" cake tin, sprinkle over 1/2 spice mixture add another 1/3 cake batter, then sprinkly over the other half spice mixture. Cover with remaining cake batter. Bake in very moderate oven approx 1 1/2 hours or until cooked through. stand 5 mins before turning out. Cool.
Spread over the top and sides with hazel nut cream. Decorate with whole hazelnuts on top.

Hazel Nut Cream

4 oz butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups sifted icing sugar
1/4 cup ground hazel nuts

Cream butter and cinnamon, add lemon juice alternately with icing sugar, blend well. Fold in ground hazel nuts.
Enjoy!