Prep Time : 15 Minutes | Cook Time : 30 Minutes | Total Time : 1 hour | Difficulty : Easy
Hello my lovelies! I love the base almond cake this recipe is a variation of. It has a lovely soft texture but can carry any fruit or spice you throw at it. I made it up recently with roasted rhubarb and it was fabulous. It makes gorgeous little spiced pear cakes. This is a small recipe – enough to make a dozen small cakes or a 7 inch round cake. If you have more mouths to feed you can easily double the recipe. This chocolate and hazelnut cake is naturally gluten free because we have replaced the original bit of flour with cocoa. Be warned if you want to make individual cakes they do tend to stick so be very careful preparing your pans. This is a simple and gloriously chocolatey and nutty cake. Moist and tender and full of flavour. There are instructions for a frangelico and chocolate sauce to drizzle over the top when serving but really this cake is fabulous on it’s own with a little yoghurt or cream. Frosting this cake would be a sugary waste of time. We want the dark chocolate goodness to shine through. This size will make a deliciously simple dessert for 6.
Heat the oven to 180C. Line the base of you cake pan with baking paper and grease the sides.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla and eggs and beat until they are as combined as they can be. There is a high proportion of egg so it will be very loose and a bit curdled looking. Not a problem.
Add the ground almonds, ground hazelnuts, cocoa, salt and baking powder. Fold until combined. I like to buy toasted hazelnuts and grind them myself as they have so much more flavour than untoasted and it’s hard to find hazelnut meal that isn’t raw.
Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the cake is just firm in the centre when gently pressed with a finger. It will be just starting to shrink away from the sides of the pan as well.
Cool for a few minutes in the pan to let the cake set a little. Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan to release the cake and gently turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Dust liberally with icing sugar.
To make the Frangelico sauce put all the ingredients into a heatproof bowl and zap in the microwave for 10 second bursts until melted together. It should take about 30 seconds altogether.
It also keeps well so can be made ahead for an easy dessert topped with berries and whipped cream.
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Chocolate + Hazelnut Cake
Prep Time : 15 mins | Cook Time : 30 mins | Total Time : 1 hour | Difficulty : Easy | Makes : 1 small cake
Soft chocolate cake with a hint of hazelnut that just melts in your mouth.
Ingredients:
For the cakes:
- 8 tablespoons (115 grams) soft unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (115 grams) sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (100 grams) ground almonds
- 1/2 cup (50 grams) ground hazelnuts (a generous 1/3 cup of whole toasted hazelnuts)
- 1/3 cup (35 grams) dutch processed cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the glaze:
- 1 ounce (30 grams) dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Frangelico liqueur
– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients –
Equipment:
- Standing or hand-held electric mixer
- 7 inch round pan lined with baking paper
Directions:
Heat the oven to 180C. Line the base of you cake pan with baking paper and grease the sides.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla and eggs and beat until they are as combined as they can be. There is a high proportion of egg so it will be very loose and a bit curdled looking. Not a problem.
Add the ground almonds, ground hazelnuts, cocoa, salt and baking powder. Fold until combined. I like to buy toasted hazelnuts and grind them myself as they have so much more flavour than untoasted and it’s hard to find hazelnut meal that isn’t raw.
Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the cake is just firm in the centre when gently pressed with a finger. It will be just starting to shrink away from the sides of the pan as well.
Cool for a few minutes in the pan to let the cake set a little. Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan to release the cake and gently turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
To make the Frangelico sauce put all the ingredients into a heatproof bowl and zap in the microwave for 10 second bursts until melted together. It should take about 30 seconds altogether.
It also keeps well so can be made ahead for an easy dessert topped with berries and whipped cream.
Cook’s Notes:
- To bake this recipe as small cakes prepare your pans very carefully and divide the batter between 12 mini cake moulds. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until firm in the centre.
- If you don’t like hazelnuts replace them with an equal weight of additional ground almonds and use an almond liqueur in the sauce.
– This cake is best the day it is made and becomes a little firmer over time but is delicious for up to 4 days –
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Yum!! Looks super decadent. Love your pics too (:
I am so picky about chocolate cake – I hate dry or flavourless ones – this one is my new favourite 🙂
This looks so gooey and delicious!
It’s super good – moist but light so you can just keep eating…