Chocolate Hazelnut Cakes Recipes

ITALIAN CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Generously grease an 8 inch round cake pan (can use a 9 inch round cake pan if that's what you have) with butter. Coat the pan with some gluten free flour blend to prevent sticking.
• Place 1/2 cup of unsalted hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse until they are finely ground. Alternately, you can place the hazelnuts in a plastic Ziploc bag and pound with a rolling pin if you don't have a food processor.
• In a mixing bowl, combine 1 scant cup gluten free flour blend (this equals 120 grams and can be measured with a kitchen scale), ½ cup finely chopped hazelnuts, 2 tsp. baking powder, and ¼ tsp. kosher salt. Mix all of these ingredients together.
• In a separate bowl, cream 4 Tbsp. of room temperature unsalted butter and 1 cup of sugar using a hand mixer or the whisk attachment of a Kitchen Aid stand mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Add 2 eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, mixing until the mixture is light and fluffy after each egg is added.
• Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture a little at a time. Add some of the flour, mix together, and repeat until it is completely combined. The batter is thick and dense.
• Spread the batter evenly in pan and bake for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clear. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
• Brew one cup of coffee or espresso and allow to cool.
• Heat a small amount of water in a double boiler (the water should be hot, but not boiling). Place 2 oz. of semisweet baking chocolate in the boiler and allow to melt, stirring the chocolate with a spatula to prevent burning.
• Add 1 ½ Tbsp. unsalted butter to the chocolate and stir until the butter has melted and incorporated into the chocolate. Pour the chocolate mixture into a bowl and allow to cool.
• Once the chocolate has cooled, beat the mixture with a hand mixer or the whisk attachment of a Kitchen Aid stand mixer until smooth. This may take a few minutes.
• Add 2 Tbsp. of cooled coffee and 1 Tbsp. Frangelico liqueur to the mixture. Continue to beat with a mixer until it is spreadable.
• Remove cake from pan and place on a cake platter or large plate (you may need to run knife along sides of pan to remove). Spread the chocolate frosting evenly over the top of the cooled cake.
• Add 1/2 cup roughly chopped unsalted hazelnuts on top of the cake.

THE BEST CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Bake two chocolate sponge cakes. Once cooled, slice each cake into two even pieces for a total of 4 layers.
• Toast the hazelnuts in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350°F.
• Whip the dulce de leche, cream cheese, butter, and Nutella together until smooth.
• Cover a plate with foil. Place the first cake layer on the plate and apply a layer of frosting on top of it.
• Sprinkle on some chopped hazelnuts on top of the cream. Repeat the process with the remaining cake layers, leaving the top layer unfrosted.
• Frost the outside of the cake with the remaining cake cream. Pop the cake in the refrigerator to set.
• Bring the heavy whipping cream to a boil. Pour it over the chocolate chips in a medium bowl and let it sit for a few minutes. Stir the mixture until smooth and creamy and let it cool to room temperature.
• Using a pastry bag or a plastic bag with the tip cut off, pipe the chocolate along the edge of the cake, allowing the chocolate to drizzle down the sides. Pipe some of the chocolate in the center of the cake and spread it evenly with a spatula.
• Scatter some hazelnuts on the outer edges of the cake. Place the cake in the refrigerator overnight or at least for 2-3 hours. Slice and enjoy!

HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare the springform pan by coating it in a thin layer with 2 tablespoons of the softened butter. Add the cocoa powder to the pan and tap the sides to coat the bottom and sides evenly. Discard any excess cocoa powder. Put the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven on the center rack until just fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer immediately to a kitchen towel to stop them from cooking. Use the towel to rub off the skins. Set aside to cool. Lower the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Fill a 1- to 2-quart pot with about 1 inch of water and bring it to a bare simmer over medium heat. Place the dark chocolate pieces into a heatproof bowl and set it over the pot and simmering water (this is a bain-marie). The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Let the chocolate melt, and then stir gently. Remove from the heat when melted.
• Chop the hazelnuts into small pieces using a chef's knife or a food processor. Make sure you don't turn them into powder. Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer with the salt until they are almost at stiff peaks. Try not to over-whip. Mix together the remaining 5 tablespoons butter with the chocolate hazelnut spread in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Stir in the espresso. Add the yolks and stir briskly to combine. Stir in the chopped hazelnuts and melted chocolate. Add one-fourth of the whipped egg whites to the chocolate hazelnut mixture and stir to lighten the batter. Then gently fold the rest of the egg whites into the batter in 3 additions. Don't over-fold. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake on the center rack of the oven until the sides of the cake start releasing from edges of the pan, 40 minutes. This cake is almost a hazelnut fudge, so no need to poke with a toothpick to check if the inside is ready or not. 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. Serve garnished with some powdered sugar and whipped or cream or gelato, if using.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CELEBRATION CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease four 6-inch-round, 3-inch-tall cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment.
• Put the hazelnuts in a food processor and grind them until you have small crumbs. Measure out 1/4 cup of the hazelnut crumbs and set them aside for the frosting.
• Pour the remaining hazelnut crumbs into a large bowl and whisk in the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, vanilla and eggs. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and then stir in the hot coffee. It will be a very thin batter.
• Pour into the prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness at 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them onto a greased cooling rack.
• For the frosting: While the cakes are cooling, use an electric mixer to beat together the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and salt until smooth. Mix in the heavy cream until smooth. Scoop out a tiny amount of frosting for the mustard-colored dollops, add the mustard yellow food coloring and mix until combined. Transfer the yellow frosting to a piping bag with a small round tip. To the remaining frosting, add the dusty rose pink food coloring and mix until the desired shade of pink. Measure out 1 cup of the pink frosting and transfer it to a small bowl. Fold in the reserved 1/4 cup ground hazelnuts.
• Level your cake layers and spread the top of one of them with the hazelnutty frosting. Place a second layer on top, then frost the top with more of the hazelnutty frosting. Continue with the remaining 2 layers. Frost the top and sides with the remaining pink frosting without nuts.
• For the decorations: Decorate with mustard dollops of frosting around the edge. Add marzipan house cutouts of white houses with green shutters, crushed hazelnuts, green grass sprinkles, orange sun sprinkles or whatever else you'd like!

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use a 24 socket cupcake pan and line with paper liners. Set the pan aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and liqueur until blended, and set aside.
• In a large bowl of an electric stand mixer on low speed, gently combine the flour, granulated sugar, hazelnut meal, baking powder, baking soda and salt until blended. Add the butter and sour cream and beat on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened.
• Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 1/2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. In three separate additions, add the egg mixture to the batter, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared cupcake liners and bake on the center rack until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool the cakes completely on wire racks, about 30 minutes.
• For the torrone filling: Mix together the butter and powdered sugar with the paddle attachment in an electric mixer. Once thoroughly combined, add the torrone paste. Continue to mix until evenly distributed.
• For the chocolate hazelnut fudge: In a food processor, place the powdered sugar, cocoa and salt. Blend to remove any lumps. Add in the butter and blend until smooth. Add the corn syrup. Process just until combined, and then scrape down the sides. Pulse. Add the chocolate hazelnut spread, and then pulse until completely combined, smooth and creamy.
• To assemble: Core each cupcake, and then fill with the torrone filling. Using a round tip and pastry bag, ice each cupcake with chocolate hazelnut fudge, creating a swirl on top.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CAKES

Steps:

• 1 Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray twelve 3-inch cake molds or one 9-inch springform pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• 2 Fill the bottom of a double boiler one-third full with water and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place a medium stainless-steel bowl over the water and melt the chocolates together, stirring constantly. Once melted, set aside to cool.
• 3 In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the hazelnuts with the confectioners' sugar and cocoa to form a fine, sand-like mixture.
• 4 In an electric mixer, beat the butter and 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar until very light and fluffy. Beat in the hazelnut paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Beat in the espresso, Frangelico, and vanilla extract, followed by the melted chocolate. Fold in the nut mixture.
• 5 In a separate mixing bowl, use the whip attachment to beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 5 tablespoons of sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter. Place the prepared molds on a greased baking sheet and divide the batter evenly among them.
• 6 Bake the cakes just until they puff and crack slightly, about 14 minutes for the cake molds (45 to 50 minutes if using the springform pan). Remove from the oven and cool in the molds on a wire rack. When the cakes are almost completely cool, gently remove the molds, then chill in the refrigerator until firm. The cakes will last for up to 1 week, refrigerated in an airtight container.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Boil tawny Port in heavy large saucepan until reduced to 10 tablespoons, about 15 minutes. Set reduced Port aside.
• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch square baking pan with 2-inch-high sides. Line bottom with parchment. Butter parchment. Dust pan with flour; tap out excess. Melt chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Pour into large bowl. Cool slightly. Whisk in 4 tablespoons of reduced Port, ground nuts and cocoa. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar in another large bowl until mixture whitens and triples in volume, about 6 minutes. Add chocolate mixture and fold together.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until top forms crust and cracks, and tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 55 minutes. Transfer cake to rack and cool 30 minutes. Press down on crusty portion of top to even. Run small sharp knife around cake sides to loosen. Cool 2 hours. Turn cake out onto 7-inch cardboard square. Peel off parchment.
• For icing:
• Bring cream, corn syrup and remaining 6 tablespoons reduced Port to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Let stand until cool but still spreadable, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Place cake on platter. Spread chocolate icing over top and sides of cake, forming waves in icing atop cake. Press chopped hazelnuts onto sides and 1/2 inch over top edge to cake. Alternate husked and unhusked hazelnuts atop cake along chopped hazelnut border. Refrigerate cake at least 4 hours. (Cake can be prepared 1 day ahead.) Cut cake into slices and serve.

CHOCOLATE & HAZELNUT CELEBRATION CAKE

Steps:

• First, make the cake. Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Grease and line a 23cm loose bottomed cake tin with baking parchment. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Allow the chocolate to slowly melt, then set aside to cool a little.
• Meanwhile, blitz the hazelnuts in a food processor until roughly chopped, then add the sugars and blitz again to a fine, sandy consistency. Tip into a mixing bowl and add the 1 whole egg and 5 egg yolks. This will be a very stiff batter, but with a bit of elbow grease, it will combine. When well incorporated, beat in the melted chocolate.
• Put the remaining egg whites in a clean bowl and whisk until they form medium peaks. Scoop a quarter of the egg whites onto the batter and beat it in to incorporate, then gently fold in the rest. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 mins. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out reasonably clean, but the best indication that it is done is a smooth top with perhaps a few cracks, and a subtle springiness to the cake when gently prodded. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin.
• To make the ganache, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Put the cream and butter in a small saucepan and heat until the butter melts, but don't let it boil. Pour it over the chocolate and leave for 1-2 mins to melt, then stir to form a smooth, glossy ganache. When the cake has cooled, remove from the tin and place it on a cake stand or platter. When the ganache has cooled to a spreadable consistency, spread generously over the entire surface of the cake - as neatly or as messily as desired.
• To make the hazelnut spikes, place a large saucepan over a medium heat to get hot. Add the sugar and continue heating until dissolved. Increase heat and bubble, swirling the pan from time to time, until the caramel turns a gorgeous amber colour - but don't stir as this will cause the caramel to crystallise. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the caramel to cool and thicken to the consistency of golden syrup - if it sets too solid, simply place it over a low heat to melt again.
• Use a cocktail stick or wooden skewer to push into each hazelnut - make sure that you don't push it in where the seam is or the hazelnut will split. Place a sheet of baking parchment on the floor directly underneath your work surface - this will catch any drops of caramel. Dredge the hazelnut through the thickened caramel, coating it very generously indeed. Secure the cocktail stick to the work surface with some sticky tape or wedge under a heavy pan, so that the caramel covered hazelnut hangs over the edge. Allow the caramel to drip, like a stalactite, towards the floor and set hard. Repeat with all the hazelnuts and allow the caramel to set. When hardened, use scissors to gently trim the fine threads of caramel off the more robust, decorative spikes. Arrange the hazelnuts, spikes pointing up, in the centre of the cake.

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT MAGIC BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter in a 9-in. square baking pan. On top of melted butter, evenly sprinkle crumbs, then coconut, then chocolate chips, then hazelnuts. Pour milk over all. Do not stir. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool several hours before cutting. If desired drizzle with melted Nutella.