2 cups unhusked hazelnuts, toasted
Kumquats
55 kumquats (about 21 ounces)
1½ cups Chardonnay
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup honey
10 whole star anise or whole cloves
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Cake
1 cup unhusked hazelnuts, toasted
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1½ teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ cups sugar
3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1¼ cups whole milk
5 large egg whites, room temperature
Frosting
1½ 8-ounce containers mascarpone cheese
1½ cups chilled heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons Cognac or brandy
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
NUT CRUNCH: Line baking sheet with foil. Stir sugar and ¼ cup water in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan. Mix in nuts. Pour onto foil; cool completely. Coarsely chop nut crunch. Set aside.
KUMQUATS: Starting at rounded end, cut cross into each kumquat to within ¼ inch of stem end. Bring wine, sugar, honey, and star anise to boil in heavy large saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Add kumquats; simmer until almost tender, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer kumquats to plate; cool. Seed and finely chop enough kumquats to measure ⅔ cup (reserve remaining kumquats). Gently boil kumquat syrup until reduced to 1¼ cups, about 12 minutes. Strain syrup and cool.
CAKE: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 15 ½×10½× 1-inch or 17×11×¾-inch baking sheet with foil; butter and flour foil. Finely grind nuts with flour in processor; transfer to medium bowl. Whisk in baking powder, five-spice powder, and salt. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Beat in egg yolks and both extracts. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk in several additions, just until combined. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold ⅓ of whites into batter to lighten, then fold in remaining whites. Spread batter evenly in prepared sheet.
Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 28 minutes for 15½×10½-inch cake or 20 minutes for 17×11-inch cake. Cool cake in pan on rack 20 minutes. Run knife around cake to loosen. Turn cake out onto foil-lined rack; cool completely. Peel foil off cake. Cut hazelnut cake crosswise into 3 equal pieces.
FROSTING: Combine all ingredients in large bowl; beat to soft peaks (do not overbeat or mixture will curdle).
Place 1 cake piece on platter; spread ¾ cup frosting over. Sprinkle with ⅓ cup chopped kumquats and ⅓ cup nut crunch, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons kumquat syrup. Top with second cake piece; spread ¾ cup frosting over. Sprinkle with ⅓ cup chopped kumquats and ⅓ cup nut crunch, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons kumquat syrup. Top with third cake piece; spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Drain reserved kumquats; remove seeds and any attached pulp. Top cake with kumquats, arranging like flowers.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill cake. Store remaining nut crunch and kumquat syrup separately at room temperature.
Press remaining nut crunch around sides of cake. Drizzle 2 tablespoons syrup over cake and serve.Ingredient Tips: Kumquats, Star Anise, and Chinese Five-Spice PowderKumquats will start to appear at the market in late fall and are available until June. Look for those that are on the small side to make the decorative flowers used here. The star anise (brown, star-shaped seedpods) and Chinese five-spice powder (a spice blend that usually contains star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, and Szechuan peppercorns) are available in the spice section of some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Asian markets.
This is a classic French torte featuring layers of rich genoise (a sponge cake enriched with melted butter) made with pistachios in place of some of the flour The torte is completed with a jammy apricot filling and honey buttercream. The cake can be prepared up to eight hours ahead. Any leftover apricot filling makes a wonderful breakfast spread for toast or English muffins. 10 servings
Filling
1 cup water
⅓ cup sugar
¼ cup orange blossom honey
1⅓ cups (packed) moist dried apricots
Cake
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
¾ cup roasted unsalted natural pistachiosPinch of salt
5 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to barely lukewarmPowdered sugar
Buttercream
½ cup sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons orange blossom honey
⅓ cup water
6 large egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2¼ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 18 pieces
¾ cup roasted unsalted natural pistachios, choppedGlazed Apricots (see recipe)
FILLING: Stir 1 cup water, sugar, and honey in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Add apricots; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 5 minutes. Uncover and simmer 3 minutes to thicken syrup slightly. Puree in processor. Transfer to bowl and cool.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.
CAKE: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 15 ½×10 ½×1-inch baking sheet. Line bottom with parchment or waxed paper. Dust sheet with flour; tap out excess. Finely grind flour, pistachios, and salt in processor.
Combine eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not let bowl touch water); whisk just until warm, about 3 minutes. Remove from over water. Using electric mixer, beat until mixture triples in volume and thick ribbon falls when beaters are lifted. Gently fold in flour-nut mixture in 2 batches. Pour 1 cup batter into small bowl; fold in melted butter. Gently but thoroughly fold butter mixture into remaining cake batter. Transfer batter to prepared sheet; smooth top. Bake cake until top is golden brown and tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan on rack.
Lightly dust 15 ½×10 ½-inch piece of parchment or waxed paper with powdered sugar. Run small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto sugared parchment. Peel off top parchment. Cut cake crosswise into three 10×5-inch rectangles.
BUTTERCREAM: Stir sugar, honey, and ⅓ cup water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Brush sides of pan with cold water. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup registers 238°F on candy thermometer, tilting pan if necessary to submerge thermometer, about 10 minutes.