Hazelnuts aren’t especially popular.  They haven’t hit it big in the health world like raw almonds, aren’t candied as frequently as pecans, and don’t appear in allergy-friendly-nut-free spreads like sunflower seeds. In fact, it’s safe to say most people only eat hazelnuts in the form of Nutella.

This all changed in the Burns household when my sister and dad showed up with 14 pounds of unshelled hazelnuts from a pick-your-own farm. For reference, that’s twice the weight of a newborn baby.

Immediately, I went to Nigella Lawson’s cookbook How to Be a Domestic Goddess and found this recipe. Her Hazelnut Chocolate cake is fabulous. It contains an entire container of Nutella, 6 eggs, 1 stick of butter, several chocolate bars, and toasted ground hazelnuts. If the fat content isn’t enough to convince you of its incredible flavor, I’ll mention it also contains rum.  You can even feed it to friends with Celiac Disease, because it’s gluten free!

Perhaps chocolate and hazelnuts aren’t a groundbreaking pairing, but they’re an underestimated duo in my opinion. Taste for yourself.

Ingredients:

Cake

6 eggs, separated

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 jar of Nutella or another chocolate hazelnut spread (14oz)

1 tablespoon rum or water

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup ground hazelnuts (the fresher the better)

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted

 

Topping

5 oz raw hazelnuts

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 ½ tablespoons rum (or water)

4 oz bittersweet chocolate

 

Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 inch spring-form pan and cut a circle of parchment paper to line the bottom. Press down the parchment, and butter it too.

Step 2: Beat egg whites with salt until they form stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, beat the chocolate hazelnut spread and butter together, and then add egg yolks, rum, vanilla extract, and ground hazelnuts. Stir in the cooled melted chocolate, and follow by folding in the egg whites 1/3 at a time.

Step 3: Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake begins to come away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the oven and cool COMPLETELY.

Step 4: Now that your oven is free, toast the hazelnuts. ~17 minutes at 350 degrees makes a beautiful golden brown hue on the lighter inside. Coax off the brown “peels” and cool COMPLETELY on a plate.

Step 5: Add cream, rum, and chopped bittersweet chocolate to a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring just until melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring until the ganache has reached a desired consistency.

Step 6: Carefully loosen the edges of the cake and remove the vertical siding of your spring-form pan. Spread the ganache over the top, and place the toasted hazelnuts in concentric circles (or a pattern of your choice). Voila!

recipe adapted from “How to Be a Domestic Goddess” by Nigella Lawson