Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
This is like the most elegant brownie-cake you've ever had. That really doesn't do it justice, but you know that fudge texture of a perfectly baked brownie, where the top has a nice crust and the inside is smooth and rich? This is that, but even better and somehow lighter. I gilded the lily with candied hazelnuts.
Ingredients
Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
- 3 oz (85g) hazelnuts toasted, skins removed, more for garnish
- 12 oz (340g) bittersweet chocolate
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks, 170g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 6 extra large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract homemade vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- Cocoa powder for pan and dusting the top
Candied Hazelnuts
- 12 hazelnuts
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp corn syrup
- Long wooden skewers
Instructions
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and line a 9-inch springform pan with buttered parchment.
- Pulverize the hazelnuts and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor until very fine.
- In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter until smooth, allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
- In a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk, beat the eggs, remaining sugar, vanilla and salt, until very thick and light in color, about 6-8 minutes.
- Slowly add the cooled chocolate to the egg mixture.
- Fold in the hazelnuts and quickly pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until the top is crusty and the interior produces moist crumbs. Allow to cool in pan until room temperature.
Candied Hazelnuts
- You will need long wooden skewers and a heavy cutting board to weigh them down on the edge of your counter. Place parchment or newspaper on the floor below where the hazelnuts will be suspended to catch the caramel drips.
- Heat the hazelnuts in a pan for a minute or so to remove the skins more easily if yours are not blanched. Gently stick the skewer into the hazelnuts. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan combine the sugar, water and corn syrup and bring to a boil, without stirring. Once the mixture starts to caramelize remove from the stove and allow it to darken and thicken for about 10 minutes. Stirring on occasion so it won’t set up on the bottom of the pan.
- Once the caramel is thickened, dip the hazelnut into the caramel and lift it to see if the caramel is clinging. If the caramel just runs off then you may need to wait another minute and repeat.
- When the caramel is coating the hazelnut and dripping off in long strands then secure the skewer under the heavy cutting board, so the caramel can drip down.
- Let the hazelnuts sit until the caramel is well set, about 15 minutes. Break off the caramel strands at the length you want. Gently twist the hazelnuts from the skewers. Decorate the top of your cake with the points way up in the air.
- Once the cake is cool and cut the top with shatter and that is exactly what we're going for. The top is crisp which is a beautiful contrast to the silky interior.
Notes
You can watch me make this cake and the candied hazelnuts in my Instagram story!