Ingredients
Method
Prepare the Hazelnuts
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and lay the hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until lightly toasted. Be careful to keep an eye on them, as they can burn easily! Let them cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the toasted hazelnuts to a food processor and grind into a very fine meal, similar to that of almond flour. The finer the crumbs are, the better.
Make the cake batter
- Keep your oven on at 350℉, and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the hazelnut meal, flour, baking powder, espresso powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the egg yolks with the sugar until they turn pale yellow and roughly double in volume. Add the vanilla and whole milk and whisk until just combined. Pour into the dry ingredients and use a large rubber spatula to fold it in.
- Rinse and dry the bowl you used for the egg yolks. Make sure there is no water or egg yolk left, or else the egg whites may not whip properly. Using a hand or stand mixer, whip the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form (when you lift the whisk out of the bowl, the egg whites should hold shape). Carefully fold half of the egg whites into the batter, trying not to deflate them too much. Repeat with the second half.
- Pour the batter into the previously prepared baking dish and bake for 18-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes before adding the tres leches.
Make the tres leches
- In a medium sized bowl with a spout, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, and coffee. Sift in the cocoa powder and whisk to combine.
- Poke the slightly cooled cake all over with a fork. You want a lot of holes, so poke around 20-25 times. Pour the tres leches evenly over the cake. It may look like too much to absorb, but don't worry. Cover the cake with cling wrap and chill for 3 hours, or preferably overnight. Letting the cake soak overnight will enhance the flavor and make sure it is really set.
Make the cream topping
- In a large bowl using a hand or stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream with the confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt, and vanilla until you have stiff peaks. Spread the whipped cream over the finished cake and top with chopped hazelnuts. Serve cold and enjoy!
- Cake stays fresh covered in the refrigerator for up to four days.