Hazelnut Brown-Butter Cake

Your birthday should be a holiday. It should be recognized by everyone for the special day that it is, and celebrated accordingly. A small holiday, filled with little happinesses. I personally always feel a little tiny shock when the date of my birthday is mentioned as the most ordinary of days. For me, it is most certainly not. Do you feel the same way?
It seems universal to spread the happiness and celebration through the sharing of special food, whether it be a Korean soup, American buttercreamed cake, or that modern tradition of going out to dinner. For me, a cake. When I was three, it was frosted pale blue and yellow, trimmed in roses, and immortalized by my father photographing me stealing bits of frosting with my fingertips. When I was five it was made by my uncle's girlfriend, a deep pink thing decorated with teeny little strawberries and my name written in blue. And on this Saturday birthday, February 26, it was a simple sponge cake of toasted ground hazelnuts and brown butter.
The cake appears simple and humble, but let me assure you that is not. It is magical in its juxtaposition of  richness and moistness, yet surprisingly light, almost airy. It tastes complex, adult - and is such a great way to celebrate growing wiser. This cake is made of sophisticated brown butter, which is called beurre noisette, hazelnut butter, by the French. It is a beautiful thing, more intensely aromatic than regular butter, nutty and complex and silky rather than creamy. To dress it in frosting or frills would be akin to dressing a cashmere-wearing sophisticate in tutu. Rather, you may opt for a dignified bit of whipped cream or creme fraiche, but not much more.

Hazelnut Brown Butter Cake
Adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques - Original recipe HERE
5 ounces of hazelnuts (1 heaping cup)
1/2 pound butter (2 sticks), plus extra for greasing the pan
1/2 vanilla bean
1/3 cup AP flour
1 1/8 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar
1 tsp baking powder
6 large egg whites
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°f. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet, and toast for approximately 12 minutes. Place the nuts in a clean tea towel, and rub between palms. The majority of skins should crumble off, and you can leave the more difficult to remove bits for texture.
Cut out a circle of parchment paper and fit in on the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (or a tall 9-inch pan). Brush the bottom with some butter.
Cut the butter into cubes, and place cubes into a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the butter, and place the pod into the saucepan. Cook butter for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it is deeply golden-brown and smells nutty. Remove from heat - it may burn if you leave it on warm range - and remove the vanilla pod. Allow the butter to cool.
In the meantime, grind the toasted hazelnuts. Add in the flour, confectioners' sugar, and baking powder and pulse to combine.
Place the egg whites in large sturdy bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the 1/4 cup of sugar and salt, and mix for 4-5 minutes, or until stiff peaks form. If you hold the bowl upside down, the peaks should hold. If needed, transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl using a rubber spatula.
Alternate folding the dry ingredients and brown butter into the egg whites, a third at a time. Be careful not to lose the volume of the egg whites. Scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the bits of vanilla and brown butter from the saucepan.
Pour batter into your prepared cake pan, and bake for one hour. Cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving platter or cake stand when ready to serve.
Tea pairing: I suggest a darjeeling. The muscatel quality will work well with this cake I believe.