Gateaux Creusois (cake from Creuse)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160 ˚C (fan-forced 180˚C). Grease a 20 cm round cake tin with the extra butter, then line the base with baking paper.
2. Place the butter in a small saucepan and cook over high heat, whisking occasionally until it is nut brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
3. Meanwhile, place the hazelnut meal, flour and 150 g icing sugar in a food processor and process together until a fine powder forms.
4. Fill a saucepan of water one third full of water and bring to the boil. Place the egg whites and the remaining icing sugar in a heat proof bowl and place over the saucepan of boiling water. Reduce the heat to low, then whisk the egg white mixture until the mixture forms bird’s beaks and a figure 8 holds its shape when dropped back on the mixture.
5. Gradually whisk in the hazelnut powder until well combined, then whisk in the butter. Pour the batter into the lined tin and bake for 25 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and stand in the tin for 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.