A Black Forest Hazelnut-Bramble Cake

I recently headed out for a short hiking trip through the northern Black Forest. My initial plan was simple: track down a few wild chanterelles for dinner. Nature had other ideas. Thanks to the recent drought, the forest floor was completely bone-dry and practically devoid of mushrooms.

Fortunately, the trip wasn’t a total loss. What the woods lacked in fungi, they made up for in wild bramble berries. I managed to forage a solid harvest and decided to use them for a rich hazelnut cake.

Here is the recipe for a 20 cm springform pan. It features a heavy dose of toasted hazelnut meal to keep the crumb tender, paired with a chilled batter technique so those heavy wild berries stay suspended instead of sinking straight to the bottom.

Ingredients (20 cm Pan)

The Nut & Butter Base

• 175 g Unsalted Butter (you will brown this down to 140 g of brown butter)
• 100 g Toasted Hazelnut Meal (finely ground)

The Dry Mix

• 120 g All-Purpose Flour
• 6 g Baking Powder
• 2.5 g Fine Sea Salt

The Foam & Emulsion

• 150 g Caster Sugar
• 3 Large Eggs (room temperature)
• 40 g Whole Milk (3.5% fat, room temperature)
• 5 g Pure Vanilla Extract

The Fruit

• 200 g Fresh Wild Brambles (washed and thoroughly dried)
• 8 g Cornstarch (for tossing)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Brown the Butter

Melt your 175 g of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. The water will boil off first with plenty of foaming. Keep a close eye on it until the milk solids drop to the bottom, turn a toasted brown, and give off a rich, nutty smell. Immediately pour it into a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking. Let it cool until warm to the touch (35 – 40 °C).

2. Prep the Dry Goods & Berries

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, hazelnut meal, baking powder, and salt. In a small separate bowl, gently toss your dry brambles with the 8 g of cornstarch until lightly coated. Set both aside.

3. Beat the Eggs and Sugar

Using a stand mixer or hand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs and caster sugar together on high speed for about 5 minutes. You want a pale, thick mixture that triples in volume and falls back on itself in thick ribbons.

4. Combine and Chill

With the mixer on low speed, slowly stream in your warm brown butter (flecks included) and the milk. Next, take a spatula and gently fold in the dry ingredient mixture by hand just until the flour streaks disappear.

Crucial Step: Put the entire bowl of batter into the fridge for 15 minutes. Cooling the batter thickens it up so your fresh berries don’t sink to the bottom during the first few minutes of baking.

5. Bake

Preheat your oven to 175 °C (conventional) and line a 20 cm springform pan with parchment paper.

Gently fold 150 g of your starched brambles into the chilled batter. Spread the batter into your prepared pan, level the top, and scatter the remaining 50 g of brambles over the surface. Bake for 40 – 45 min until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let it cool before slicing.

Troubleshooting Quick-Fixes

• Did your berries sink anyway? Your butter was likely too hot when added, or the batter didn’t chill long enough to build up viscosity. If they end up at the bottom, just cool the cake completely, flip it upside down onto a platter, and call it a planned upside-down berry cake!
• Is the bottom layer dense or greasy? This happens if you pour the brown butter into the eggs while it’s still hot (>50 °C). Hot butter cooks the egg proteins early and breaks your air emulsion. Next time, double-check that the butter has cooled down to warm before mixing it in.