Chocolate Hazelnut Cake -

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

This decadent, rich and moist pudding-like cake will keep well
for several days if stored in an airtight container. It can be made using ground almonds in place of the hazelnuts.

Ingredients

For the cake

300 g good quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
175 g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, plus extra for greasing
6 eggs, medium-sized, separated
115 g soft dark brown sugar
125 ml plain yogurt
250 g ground hazelnuts
Single cream to serve (optional)

For the chocolate icing

100 g good quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
25 g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes,
Plus extra for greasing

Details

Serves: 7

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Butter a 25 cm spring form cake tin and line the base with non-stick baking parchment.

Place 300 g of the chocolate into a medium sized mixing bowl and stand this over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Add 175 g of the butter, stir until evenly blended with the chocolate, then remove from the heat.

Put the egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl and whisk until thick and creamy. Stir in the yogurt and hazelnuts, then add the melted chocolate and butter and mix well.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Fold a quarter into the chocolate mixture to loosen it a little, then gently fold in the rest.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 60-70 minutes until the cake is well risen and feels firm to the touch. Use the skewer test to ensure the cake is cooked through. Leave to cool in the tin.

When the cake is cold, run a palette knife around the side to loosen it from the edges of the tin. Remove the cake from the tin, carefully transfer it on to a serving plate and peel off the lining paper.

Melt the remaining chocolate in a small bowl that is standing over a saucepan of simmering water and stir in the remaining butter.

Spread the chocolate icing over the top of the cake with a palette knife and mark it into swirls. Once the icing has set, cut the cake into slices and serve with single cream poured over it.

Related food category:

• Cake and Bread