Chocolate Indulgence: A Love Affair with Nutella
It's true, once you hop on the chocolate bandwagon, it's almost impossible to hop off — especially when dark, rich cacao is involved. Like many, my resolve melts away at the mere thought of it, leaving me with a daily longing that peaks around my afternoon coffee. A humble square of dark chocolate becomes my sweet escape, my tiny ritual of decadence.
Enter the baking scene: an irresistibly rich, sinfully delicious Nutella cake that makes resistance futile. This isn't just any cake; it's a luxurious cousin to the brownie, minimal in flour, generous in freshly ground hazelnut meal, and lavish in its use of Nutella. The result is a dense, fudgy base so sumptuous, it could almost stand alone — but why stop there?
The masterpiece is crowned with a silky chocolate ganache, a glossy cap that takes what is already a dive into deep chocolate indulgence into the realms of the extraordinary. Designed to dazzle and delight, this cake is my chosen champion for this weekends Sunday bake session. It promises to be a temptation that not even the staunchest of wills could resist after just one bite.
warmly
Devaki
Recipe for
Luscious Nutella, Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake
Slightly adapted from a recipe by Nigella Lawson 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 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 stick + 1 tbsp. soft unsalted butter
¼ cup sugar
1-1/2 cup Nutella
1 tbsp. rum (optional)
1 cup ground hazelnut meal (ground from whole nuts)
1 tbsp. regular white 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 tbsp. rum (optional)
To finish:
1 cup hazelnuts (peeled, no skins)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 deg. F.
Prep the pan: 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 for the cake: 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 the cake.
Method:
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 (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 heapful 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!
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