If you’re looking for a recipe that’s both comforting and indulgent, I have THE recipe you need: a hazelnut loaf cake inspired by Pierre Hermé’s famous Infiniment noisette cake.
Admittedly, it’s not “just” a loaf cake with a single preparation, and it won’t be ready in 15 minutes. That’s true… But believe me, this dessert is worth the effort. If you’re a hazelnut lover, this loaf cake is an absolute must-try!
What is a gâteau de voyage?
A gâteau de voyage (travel cake) is a cake that can be kept for several days at room temperature. It’s generally a simple cake (loaf cake, yoghurt cake, marble cake…) that’s easy to eat. That’s why a gâteau de voyage contains neither cream nor fresh fruit (forget chantilly cream, pastry cream or whipped ganache).
Here, the loaf cake is covered with a hazelnut cream made up of milk chocolate, hazelnut praline and hazelnut paste. These are ingredients that keep very well at room temperature. That said, I personally prefer to keep it in the fridge and take it out a little before eating.
The gâteau de voyage was the theme of our Cookandshoot challenge. For February, the task was to make a gâteau de voyage incorporating nuts (pastry constraint). The photo had to feature negative space (photography constraint).
What is the difference from Pierre Hermé’s Infiniment noisette cake?
This Pierre Hermé dessert had clearly caught my eye. But in order to respect the theme of our challenge, I absolutely wanted the hazelnuts to be visible. However, in Pierre Hermé’s recipe, the loaf cake is topped with a hazelnut cream and the whole thing is then covered with a glaze. So I preferred to glaze the loaf cake, then add the hazelnut cream on top and cover it with caramelised hazelnuts. I find it utterly indulgent!
If you like this kind of dessert, you should also be won over by Pierre Hermé’s Infiniment noisette cake.
Ingredients & Method
6 components · Full recipe
Praline Feuilleté
Ingredients
- 100 g (3.5 oz) hazelnut praline paste
- 50 g (1.8 oz) crêpe dentelle biscuits (feuilletine)
- 30 g (1.1 oz) milk chocolate
Method
1
Melt the milk chocolate and mix it with the praline paste until smooth.
2
Crush the crêpe dentelle biscuits and fold them into the chocolate-praline mixture.
3
Spread in a rectangle (approximately 22×8 cm (3.1 in)) between two sheets of baking paper to a thickness of about 5 mm. Freeze until solid (at least 2 hours).
Cake Batter
Ingredients
- 190 g (6.7 oz) flour
- 8 g (0.3 oz) baking powder
- 200 g (7.1 oz) caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 100 g (3.5 oz) hazelnut paste
- 100 g (3.5 oz) crème fraîche
- 100 g (3.5 oz) butter
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (then reduce to 160°C / 325°F after 10 minutes of baking).
2
Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly.
3
In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until the mixture is pale and slightly thick.
4
Add the hazelnut paste and mix well.
5
Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder, then the crème fraîche, then the melted butter — folding gently between each addition.
6
Pour into a buttered and floured 24×9 cm (3.5 in) loaf tin.
7
Score the top lengthways with a knife dipped in clarified butter for a neat split. Bake for 10 minutes at 180°C / 350°F, then lower to 160°C / 325°F for a further 40 minutes. Check with a skewer — it should come out clean.
Soaking Syrup
Ingredients
- 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) water
- 80 g (2.8 oz) caster sugar
- 30 g (1.1 oz) hazelnut paste
Method
1
Bring the water and sugar to the boil, stirring to dissolve. Remove from the heat and whisk in the hazelnut paste.
2
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, brush it generously all over with the warm syrup. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
Hazelnut Cream
Ingredients
- 100 g (3.5 oz) hazelnut praline paste
- 100 g (3.5 oz) mascarpone
Method
1
Whisk the mascarpone to loosen it, then add the praline paste and mix until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until assembly.
Milk Chocolate Rocky Glaze
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) milk chocolate
- 50 g (1.8 oz) hazelnut oil
- 80 g (2.8 oz) whole hazelnuts (toasted)
Method
1
Toast the whole hazelnuts at 150°C / 300°F for 15 minutes, then rub off the skins. Leave to cool.
2
Melt the milk chocolate and mix in the hazelnut oil until smooth.
3
Stir in the toasted hazelnuts.
4
Use when the glaze has cooled to about 35°C / 95°F — it should be fluid but not too hot, otherwise it will melt the hazelnut cream.
5
Pour over the assembled cake (see assembly step) to coat the top evenly. Leave to set in the fridge.
Assembly
Method
1
Unmould the cooled, soaked cake. Slice it in half horizontally. Spread the hazelnut cream generously over the bottom half. Take the frozen praline feuilleté rectangle and place it on top of the cream. Replace the top half of the cake and press down gently to sandwich.
FAQ
What is a travel cake?
A travel cake is a dense, moist loaf cake that keeps well and travels easily without crumbling or drying out. The term comes from the fact that these cakes were traditionally packed into travel hampers or wrapped for long journeys. They are typically made with butter, eggs and flour, and often soaked with a syrup after baking to extend their shelf life. Classic examples include the pound cake, the financier and the madeleines.
What is the difference from Pierre Hermé’s Infiniment Noisette cake?
Pierre Hermé’s original Infiniment Noisette cake is a signature creation from his pastry house. My version is inspired by it but simplified for the home baker, with adapted proportions and a slightly different method. The spirit is the same — maximum hazelnut intensity at every layer — but a few components have been adjusted to make the recipe more practical without specialist equipment or professional pastry techniques.
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