Hazelnut Chocolate Cake
Serves: 6
Clair Leannon
1 January 1970
Based on User reviews:
47
Spice
51
Sweetness
54
Sourness
41
mins
Prep time (avg)
5.4
Difficulty
Ingredients:
Directions:
1
Special equipment: 9- by 3-inch springform pan Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
2
Prepare the springform pan by coating it in a thin layer with 2 tablespoons of the softened butter
3
Add the cocoa powder to the pan and tap the sides to coat the bottom and sides evenly
4
Discard any excess cocoa powder
5
Put the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven on the center rack until just fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes
6
Transfer immediately to a kitchen towel to stop them from cooking
7
Use the towel to rub off the skins
8
Set aside to cool
9
Lower the oven to 350 degrees F
10
Fill a 1- to 2-quart pot with about 1 inch of water and bring it to a bare simmer over medium heat
11
Place the dark chocolate pieces into a heatproof bowl and set it over the pot and simmering water (this is a bain-marie)
12
The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl
13
Let the chocolate melt, and then stir gently
14
Remove from the heat when melted
15
Chop the hazelnuts into small pieces using a chef's knife or a food processor
16
Make sure you don't turn them into powder
17
Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer with the salt until they are almost at stiff peaks
18
Try not to over-whip
19
Mix together the remaining 5 tablespoons butter with the chocolate hazelnut spread in a large bowl with a wooden spoon
20
Stir in the espresso
21
Add the yolks and stir briskly to combine
22
Stir in the chopped hazelnuts and melted chocolate
23
Add one-fourth of the whipped egg whites to the chocolate hazelnut mixture and stir to lighten the batter
24
Then gently fold the rest of the egg whites into the batter in 3 additions
25
Don't over-fold
26
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan
27
Bake on the center rack of the oven until the sides of the cake start releasing from edges of the pan, 40 minutes
28
This cake is almost a hazelnut fudge, so no need to poke with a toothpick to check if the inside is ready or not
29
The cake will come out of the oven nice and fluffy and souffled, but it will deflate to half the size during its cool-off period
30
Serve garnished with some powdered sugar and whipped or cream or gelato, if using