HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE CAKE

It's funny how the memory works... I was looking for recipes for the blog and I found this one.
The first thing that came to my mind was the smell of the milk chocolate and the hazelnuts. After that, I remembered the granulated texture of this cake, and then, a lot of memories from my college years. I couldn't believe I forgot this recipe! I used to make it for my friends and they were always asking for more.

And here it is, a recipe rescued from oblivion.

I hope you like it as much as I do.

Difficulty: Medium

Preparation time: 35 minutes

Cooking time: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

*I halved the amount of ingredients for a smaller cake. If you want to prepare a bigger cake, double the amount and use a 30 centimeters loaf pan.

100g  (3.5 oz) milk chocolate
100g  (3.5 oz) roasted ground hazelnuts
90g (3.20 oz) butter at room temperature
80g (2.80 oz) sugar
3 eggs
70g (2.50 oz) all purpose or pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch of salt
100g (3.5 oz) Nutella or milk chocolate for the glaze







1   Prepare a 20 centimeters (7.8-inch) baking pan covered with parchment paper. Heat the oven to 190º C (375º F).


2    Grind milk chocolate with a food processor or a grater. Wisk flour and baking powder.


3   Separate whites from yolks. In a clean bowl, beat the whites until firm, adding the pinch of salt before finish.


4   In a bigger bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add yolks one at a time, beating until incorporated.


5   Using a silicone spatula, add hazelnuts and chocolate to the mixture. After that, incorporate flour, avoiding overbeating the batter. To finish, fold in the whites slowly until you get a uniform mix

6   Put the batter into the pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 30 minutes and set the tempearture to 180ºC (350º F) until done. To make sure it is done, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. Once removed it should come out batter-free (some melted chocolate is ok).


7   Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes and unmold. Let the cake cool completely on the wire rack if you want to glaze it with the milk chocolate or Nutella. To melt the milk chocolate, use the microwave for 15 seconds intervals, stirring until melted. Let the milk chocolate glaze cool completely before slicing the cake.




Tips

• If you don't have a food processor yet, you should buy one. It will make things easier for you in the kitchen and you can use it for plenty of recipes.
  

• This isn't a light and fluffy cake but neither is dry thanks to the hazelnuts and chocolate. You'll have more than one slice, for sure.

• The quality of the chocolate is key for the flavor of the cake and for the texture of the glaze.

• The cake can be prepared ahead and glazed one hour before serving it.

• If you're on impatient mode, forget about the glaze, slice the cake after unmolding and spread some Nutella on it.

Recipe adapted from the book Repostería Esencial. Circulo de Lectores editorial.