A Very Merry "Cake"mas

Merry Christmas!

I have a Christmas present for each and everyone of you. I am going to share my super secret family recipe for Hazelnut Cake.  Fine.  It isn't a super secret or even a secret, heck I found the recipe last week in a magazine and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since.  But I did officially decide tonight (while eating the cake) that I am going to make this cake every year at Christmas time, isn't that special? Yes M'am.

So without further ado I present to you your gift:

Chelle's Hazelnut Cake

I know it isn't the prettiest, most evenly frosted, or level cake, but I did put my sweat (not literally) and tears (yes real tears) into it.  I made it from scratch, and not from a box scratch.  Everyone seemed to be really really pleased with it and kept telling me how good it was.  Let's hope they weren't lying for the sake of Christmas and they really liked it.

Chelle's Hazelnut Cake

1 c. butter softened

1 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

6 large eggs

2 cups all purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup chopped toasted hazelnut*

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup sour cream

 Preheat oven to 350 and grease and flour 3 cake rounds.  In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars at medium speed until creamy.  Add vanilla, beat to combine.  Add eggs one at a time beating well after each.  In the food processor, combine 1/4 c. flour and hazelnut, process until finely ground.  In medium bowl, combine remaining 1 3/4 c flour, ground hazelnut mixture, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating with sour cream.  Be sure to begin and end with flour mixture.  Spoon batter into prepared pans.  Bake for 18-20 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool in pans for 10 min.  Remove from pan and cool on rack.  Spread Frosting between layers, garnish with nuts.

*  Hazelnuts were hard to find and I had to buy them, crack them, and toast them.  Then I had to remove the skins from them and they didn't want to cooperate.  This is where the tears came in.

Chocolate Hazelnut Frosting

2 (8oz) cream cheese softened

3/4c chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella)

8 cups confectioner's sugar

In a large bowl beat cream cheese and chocolate spread at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.  Gradually beat in confectioner's sugar until smooth.

Enjoy!

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful Christmas Saturday full of fun, family, and fellowship.  Not only is today a day for fun, presents, and good food, but most importantly it is the day our Savior, Jesus Christ was born and never has there been a more important gift than that.  So today, in the midst of all the Christmasy things  take a moment to think about what the day is and don't get bogged down in what is has become.