Recipes · Cakes & pastries
Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Glaze
AI-written · not yet kitchen-tested
Ground hazelnuts are the heart of this cake, but also its weak spot: they turn rancid quickly and then taste bitter. Smell and taste them before baking, and if you like, toast them briefly in a dry pan first.
This recipe was written with AI assistance and has not yet been kitchen-tested. Check quantities and times as you cook, and follow safe core temperatures for meat, poultry, fish and eggs.
Ingredients
- 200 g (1 cup) butter softened
- 180 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 packet vanilla sugar about 8 g, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 eggs large, at room temperature
- 200 g (7.1 oz) ground hazelnuts fresh, not rancid
- 150 g (1 1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder level
- 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) milk
- 1 tbsp butter softened, for the pan
- 150 g (5.3 oz) bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped
- 1 tbsp canola oil makes the glaze glossy
- 30 g (1.1 oz) hazelnuts whole or coarsely chopped, for sprinkling
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) conventional or 300 °F (155 °C) convection, with the rack in the lower third. Line the bottom of a 9-inch (24 cm) springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with the butter for the pan.
- Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla sugar and salt with a hand mixer for 4 minutes until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each.
- Mix the hazelnuts, flour and baking powder. Stir the mixture in two additions into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, on the lowest speed just until you have an even batter that drops heavily from the spoon.
- Fill the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the cake gets too dark after 40 minutes, cover it loosely with foil.
- Let the cake rest in the pan for 15 minutes, run a knife around the edge and cool it on a cooling rack for about 60 minutes, until completely cold.
- Melt the chocolate and oil in a bowl set over a pan of warm, not boiling, water and stir until smooth. Let it cool for 5 minutes, pour it over the cake and spread it to the edge with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts and let the glaze set for about 30 minutes.
Tip: To bring out the nut flavor, toast the ground hazelnuts for 3 to 4 minutes in a dry pan, stirring, and let them cool completely before adding them to the batter.
Tip: With the glaze, the cake stays moist for 4 days in a tin. Chocolate often contains soy lecithin and traces of milk, so check the package for allergens.