It's been a while since I have been on the chocolate band wagon and now I can't seem to get off!
I suppose it's because when it comes to chocolate, I have very little self control - especially for the dark, almost all cacao kind.
And therefore I stay away from the lot, except for a single square serving for which I begin jonesing right around my afternoon coffee.
So needless to say, when it comes to baking this insanely rich, Nutella, chocolatey, did I say Nutella - cake, the battle was lost long before it began.
So it is a good thing that this is one of life's rare opportunities where losing is winning.
How often does one get to say that?
Or at least that's what I told myself as I shovelled a piece of this decadence in my mouth, pushing thoughts of 'my exercise Yoda' i.e. water aerobics instructor promptly into the dark recesses of my mind.
This is one of those wonderful brownie variety cakes with very little flour, freshly ground up hazelnut meal and loads of Nutella.
The chocolate ganache is the proverbial cherry on top and take what's already superb into the realm of fabulous.
Try resisting this come Easter Sunday!
Gather the ingredients,
6 large eggs (separated egg yolks from egg whites), ½ tsp cream of tartar, 1 stick + 1 tbs soft unsalted butter, ¼ cup sugar, 1-1/2 cup Nutella, 1 tbs rum (optional), 1 cup ground hazelnut meal (ground from whole nuts), 1 tbs sugar to grind with hazelnuts, 1/3 cup all purpose flour & 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped
Ganache: 1/2 cup heavy cream, 5 oz dark chocolate chips or chopped, 1 tsp oil, 1 tbs rum (optional)
Decoration: 1 cup hazelnuts (peeled, no skins)
Also required is a 9" springfoam pan, non-stick baking spray & parchment paper
Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
Spray a 9 inch round spring foam pan with non-stick baking spray & line with parchment paper. Place the spring foam pan on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet.
Hazelnuts for decoration: Heat a non-stick pan on medium high heat. Add the peeled hazelnuts and toast, stirring continuously. Toast until the hazelnuts have brown spots appearing and have a golden blush.
Transfer the hot nuts to a plate lined with kitchen paper towels and allow to cool completely so they don’t turn oily once they are put on the ganache.
Eggs: Separate the egg whites from the yolks and keep in separate bowls.
Hazelnuts: To a food processor, add whole hazelnuts (without skins) and process. Add the sugar and continue to grind into as fine a meal as possible. Measure 1 cup hazelnut meal for use in the cake.
Cook’s Note: Use an electric stand mixer for the egg whites and a hand immersion blender for the rest unless you have 2 stand mixer bowls.
In a large mixing bowl, with a hand immersion mixer beat the butter, sugar & Nutella until fluffy. Add the rum if using and add 1 egg yolk at a time, combining as you use up all the egg yolks.
Add the hazelnut meal, flour and combine.
Chocolate:In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate, stirring every 20 seconds until chocolate has just melted and is glossy.
Fold in the chocolate with a rubber spatula into the Nutella mixture.
Fit the electric stand mixer with a whisk. Empty the egg whites and cream or tartar into the bowl of the electric stand mixer and beat until soft peaks are formed.
With a rubber spatula fold in a heap-ful of the egg whites. Add the remaining egg whites in 2 batches folding as gently as possible.
Pour batter into a spring foam pan and bake for 40 minutes or until the cake's beginning to come away at the sides. Cool on a baking rack.
Ganache:
Create a home version of a double boiler by bringing a small sauce pan of water to boil. Place a medium pyrex bowl on it making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the cream, oil, rum and chocolate to the Pyrex bowl and whisk gently. Once the chocolate has melted, turn the heat off and leave as-is until ready to use.
Cook’s Note: Whisk occasionally while waiting for the cake to cool to keep the chocolate glossy and spreadable consistency without being runny. I like to use oil in the ganache because it keeps the ganache smooth and delays hardening and setting of the chocolate.
Release the sides of the spring foam pan leaving it on the base as it will be too difficult to get such a damp cake off in one piece. Smear the top of the cake evenly with the ganache leaving a ¼” border all around the cake.
Dot thickly with the whole, toasted hazelnuts. Cut into wedges and serve with whipped cream.
Recipe for
Luscious Nutella, Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake
Slightly adapted from a recipe by Nigella Lawson
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes
Makes 1 qty 9" round cake
Shopping list
6 large eggs (separated egg yolks from egg whites)
½ tsp cream of tartar OR 1-1/2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 stick + 1 tbs soft unsalted butter
¼ cup sugar
1-1/2 cup Nutella
1 tbs rum (optional)
1 cup ground hazelnut meal (ground from whole nuts)
1 tbs sugar to grind with hazelnuts
1/3 cup all purpose flour
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate
Ganache:
1/3 cup heavy cream
5 oz dark chocolate chips or chopped
1 tsp oil
1 tbs rum (optional)
Decoration:
1 cup hazelnuts (peeled, no skins)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
Spray a 9 inch round spring foam pan with non-stick baking spray & line with parchment paper. Place the spring foam pan on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet.
Hazelnuts for decoration: Heat a non-stick pan on medium high heat. Add the peeled hazelnuts and toast, stirring continuously. Toast until the hazelnuts have brown spots appearing and have a golden blush.
Transfer the hot nuts to a plate lined with kitchen paper towels and allow to cool completely so they don’t turn oily once they are put on the ganache.
Eggs: Separate the egg whites from the yolks and keep in separate bowls.
Hazelnuts: To a food processor, add whole hazelnuts (without skins) and process. Add the sugar and continue to grind into as fine a meal as possible. Measure 1 cup hazelnut meal for use in the cake.
Method:
- Cook’s Note: Use an electric stand mixer for the egg whites and a hand immersion blender for the rest unless you have 2 stand mixer bowls.
- In a large mixing bowl, with a hand immersion mixer beat the butter, sugar & Nutella until fluffy. Add the rumif using and add 1 egg yolk at a time, combining as you use up all the egg yolks. Add the hazelnut meal, flour and combine.
- Chocolate:In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate, stirring every 20 seconds until chocolate has just melted and is glossy. Fold in the chocolate with a rubber spatula into the Nutella mixture.
- Fit the electric stand mixer with a whisk. Empty the egg whites and cream or tartar (or lemon juice) into the bowl of the electric stand mixer and beat until soft peaks are formed.
- With a rubber spatula fold in a heap-ful of the egg whites. Add the remaining egg whites in 2 batches folding as gently as possible.
- Pour batter into a spring foam pan and bake for 40 minutes or until the cake's beginning to come away at the sides. Cool on a baking rack.
Ganache:
- Create a home version of a double boiler by bringing a small sauce pan of water to boil. Place a medium pyrex bowl on it making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the cream, oil, rum and chocolate to the Pyrex bowl and whisk gently. Once the chocolate has melted, turn the heat off and leave as-is until ready to use.
- Cook’s Note: Whisk occasionally while waiting for the cake to cool to keep the chocolate glossy and spreadable consistency without being runny. I like to use oil in the ganache because it keeps the ganache smooth and delays hardening and setting of the chocolate.
- Release the sides of the spring foam pan leaving it on the base as it will be too difficult to get such a damp cake off in one piece.
- Smear the top of the cake evenly with the ganache leaving a ¼” border all around the cake.
- Dot thickly with the whole, toasted hazelnuts.
- Cut into wedges and serve with whipped cream.
Enjoy!
