GERMAN COFFEE CAKE WITH NUTS AND CHOCOLATE ( NUSSKUCHEN )

Steps:

• Note: Time for cooling is not included.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180C). For best removal of cake: Thoroughly grease pan with melted butter. Put it in the fridge for 5 minutes. Remove, fill with 2 tablespoons flour, shake pan over the sink until evenly dusted with flour. Discard any loose flour. Keep dusted pan in fridge until filling.
• Mix flour with baking powder.
• Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt in a large clean bowl with clean beaters until stiff but not dry. Set aside.
• In another large bowl beat soft butter and sugar until creamy white and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beat until light in color and increased in volume, about 3 minutes.
• Put nuts and chocolate into bowl with the butter and egg yolks and mix a few seconds on low until just blended.
• Sift flour over mixture. Don't mix. Put 1 cup of egg white on flour.
• With a rubber spatula fold flour and the cup egg white into nut mixture, this will be rather stiff, but it does not need to be blended completely.
• Give rest of egg white on nut mixture and fold it in until completely blended. (If you try to mix in flour without egg white first and then fold in all of egg white at once, the flour mixture will be too firm to do this, therefore the two steps.).
• Fill batter evenly into pan.
• Bake in the middle of the oven for 60-75 minutes. If it browns too much reduce heat by 15 degrees and cover loosely with parchment paper.
• Test doneness by inserting a wooden skewer into the middle of the cake. If only melted chocolate but no crumbs stick to it the cake is done. Remove from oven.
• Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then carefully lay it on the side and let cake slip out of form. You may cut with a thin knife along the sides between cake and pan to make sure it will come out.
• Best eaten while still a little warm but will keep several days. Dust with a little powdered sugar before serving if you like. Cut into 1/2 inch slices. Serve with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.
• Note: Using fresh unsalted butter, freshly ground nuts and a really good-quality chocolate are keys in making this cake really good. I usually make it with hazelnuts, and think this tastes slightly better than with walnuts :).