I write with good news and chocolate hazelnut cake (which means the news is extra Well). On Wednesday, my mom and I went for coffee, and while we waited and munched on a scone, I got a text from our real estate agent that someone had made an offer on our house in Portland! And we accepted it!!!! Reader, I can hardly put into words what a Huge It’s a relief that this process has begun: let’s hope that everything goes smoothly and that we can officially hand over the keys on November 1st. And wouldn’t you know it, when we got the text that an offer had come in on our house in Portland, we Also I got a text within minutes that the farm passed the county inspection, passed the inspection National scenic area inspection and our residence permit was approved! When it rains, it pours, as they say. We honestly wouldn’t have gotten here without our amazing builder, Philip of Hainline constructionso I made this cake as a thank you for him + his team and I will give it to him tomorrow during the procedure where he will hand over the house keys. Such an emotional moment!!! (Insert about 1,000 smiley emojis here)
And in case you were wondering, this is why there are no photos of the cake slices: it’s not good etiquette for gifting a cake to slice it before bequeathing it to someone else. But you can rest easy knowing that the inside of the cake is a VERY rich and delicious dark chocolate. I actually made this chocolate hazelnut cake for the first time 3 years ago for my friend’s baby shower. She Truly wanted little four so I originally made this recipe into little square cakes, and they were DELICIOUS. Like, hands down the best cake I’ve ever made alongside this one. I wrote the recipe as I made it and it sat there in my drafts for the next 1,067 days. I am sorry! It’s really a shame that it took me so long to make and share it, but better late than never, I guess. I made a few changes to make it fit a standard layer cake, and it turned out even prettier than the petit four version, so I’m really happy with that.
As for the flavor, let’s get to the heart of it! The buttercream frosting has a homemade toasted hazelnut butter incorporated, so you get a marvelous nutty nutty flavor in every bite. And the cake itself contains coffee, cocoa and hazelnut liqueur (I recommend the Frangelico brand), and is probably the moistest cake I’ve ever made. And then you make some chocolate icing (which is very simple, just melt the butter in a saucepan and add the chocolate chips until they melt) and drizzle it over the cake. And if you want to get really fancy, you can put some buttercream on top of the cake and Then put some toasted hazelnuts on top.
I hope you enjoy it, reader, and that it gives you some celebratory spirit like it gave me! I don’t know when I’ll write again since I’m packing up and moving in the next couple of weeks, but when I do I have a feeling it will be about the farm 🤗
Chocolate and hazelnut cake
This Chocolate Hazelnut Cake is made up of three moist layers of chocolate cake, with a toasted hazelnut buttercream between each, and is topped with a toasted chocolate hazelnut frosting.
Chocolate and hazelnut cake
-
2 1/2
cups
Flour
sieved -
2
cups
granulated sugar -
1
cup
Dutch process cocoa powder
sieved -
2 1/2
teaspoons
baking soda -
1 1/4
teaspoons
salt -
3
egg -
1
cup
sour cream
room temperature -
2/3
cup
vegetable oil -
1/2
cup
hazelnut liqueur
like Frangelico -
2
teaspoons
vanilla extract -
1
cup
heat
but DO NOT boil the coffee
Toasted hazelnut butter + hazelnut topping
-
1
pound
raw hazelnuts
shelled -
1/2
teaspoon
kosher salt
Toasted Hazelnut Butter Cream
-
1
cup
unsalted butter
room temperature -
3/4
cup
toasted hazelnut butter
recipe above -
2 1/2
cups
powdered sugar
sieved -
1
table spoon
hazelnut liqueur
like Frangelico -
1
table spoon
heavy cream -
1/2
teaspoon
salt
Dark chocolate icing
-
5
ounces
about 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (about 60% cocoa) -
3
ounces
6 tablespoons unsalted butter -
1/4
teaspoon
salt
Chocolate and hazelnut cake
-
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
-
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
-
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the eggs and sour cream until smooth and creamy. Add the vegetable oil, hazelnut liqueur and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
-
Switch to the paddle attachment and add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix on low speed until coarse (the batter will be thick and chunky, and that’s fine). With the mixer running on low speed, add the coffee in a steady stream and mix until it is *just* incorporated and a smooth batter forms, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed .
-
Distribute the mixture evenly into the three cake pans and bake. Bake until the insert of a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let the pan cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto the wire rack and let them cool to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Toasted hazelnut butter + hazelnut topping
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread hazelnuts evenly in one layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Place in the oven and cook until fragrant and the exposed light parts of the hazelnut are lightly browned, about 10 to 13 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 4 minutes, then take 1 cup of hazelnuts and set aside to use to decorate the cake at the end.
-
Place the remaining hazelnuts on a clean tea towel. Rub the hazelnuts in the towel to remove the skin. Leaving the husks (the husks can be composted), place the peeled hazelnuts in the bowl of a food processor. Add the salt and process on high speed until smooth, oily butter forms, about 2 to 3 minutes (if you’re using a high-powered blender, it will take longer). Makes about 1 1/4 cups toasted hazelnut butter.
Toasted Hazelnut Butter Cream
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth, then add the toasted hazelnut butter to the bowl of the stand mixer until creamy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar, hazelnut liqueur, cream, and salt and mix on medium-high speed until fluffy and airy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Assembly
-
Use a long knife to cut the domes from the cake layers so that they lay flat on top (enjoy the domes as a snack!) Place the first layer on the serving plate and frost the top with the buttercream using an icing spatula or rubber spatula. Place second cake layer on top and repeat frosting. Place the third and final cake layer on top and frost the top of the cake and a thin layer of frosting on the sides. Place the cake in the freezer for 15 minutes to harden the frosting (this will keep the cake crumbs from mixing too much into the frosting). Remove the cake from the freezer and continue frosting until you can no longer see the cake outside the frosting. (If you want to have buttercream stars on the top of the cake, you will need to reserve about 3/4 cup of buttercream.) If you prefer, you can mix a couple of tablespoons of icing with a tablespoon of hazelnut butter in a bowl, dab it on the cake in several places and then spread it with the spatula. This will create some fun color variations.
-
Place the cake in the refrigerator for 10 minutes while you create the chocolate icing (follow the recipe below). Remove the cake from the refrigerator and drizzle the frosting over the cake, using a clean icing spatula or rubber spatula to gently smooth the frosting over the top of the cake and allow a few elegant drips to form along the sides. Once you’re happy with the way it looks, place the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the frosting to firm up a bit.
-
Using a piping bag fitted with a star tip and filled with the remaining buttercream, pipe small “spoons” of stars onto the cake in a circle around the edge, trying to space them evenly apart. Place a toasted hazelnut on each. Serve and enjoy your meal! It will keep covered in an airtight container for several days.
Dark chocolate icing
-
Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the chocolate chips and stir continuously until melted. Remove from heat and use immediately.
Nutrition Facts
Chocolate and hazelnut cake
Quantity per serving
Calories 733
Calories from fat 414
% daily value*
Fat 46 g71%
Saturated fat 17g106%
Trans fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated fats 4g
Monounsaturated fats 22g
Cholesterol 89 mg30%
Sodium 661 mg29%
Potassium 447 mg13%
Carbohydrates 76 g25%
6g fiber25%
Sugar 49 g54%
Protein 12 g24%
Vitamin A 643 IU13%
Vitamin C 2 mg2%
Soccer 104 mg10%
Iron 4 mg22%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.