Chocolate on Chocolate and no flour used. A super decadent chocolate cake. A guilty pleasure everybody needs every now and then. Let’s be honest, it is always a good time, a good season, and a good reason to eat chocolate. This Flourless Double Chocolate Cake with Hazelnuts will trump all chocolate cakes.
Dense and utterly delicious. Loaded with chocolate. Once you’ve eaten a piece, you’re full, but you want eat more. It will be a battle between your good and your bad angel. Each will win, alternately. One day you will take another piece, next day you may be strong enough to decline.
I made this cake for the first time years and years ago and remembered its richness. I remember how heavy it was and how much we enjoyed it. This time around I added some hazelnuts on the outside crust, however it does not really have a crust. Those hazelnuts are just pushed into the side of the cake, easy peasy.
I think you can see from this picture that it’s a fudge-type cake; dense and moist, with a chocolate ganache on top, hence the double in Flourless Double Chocolate Cake with Hazelnuts.
The cake consists of 4 ingredients: sugar, chocolate and eggs. The ganache is made from whipping cream and chocolate and then it is hazelnuts as decoration.
These types of cakes are not designed for frequent repetition. Not because they are difficult to make, but they are too rich for frequent consumption.
The time to make this cake is also not too long.
What needs to be done to make this Flourless Double Chocolate Cake with Hazelnuts?
- You first make the cake.
- Dissolve the sugar in water. Melt the butter, and add chopped chocolate and stir until smooth. Combine syrup with the chocolate. Allow to cool a little.
- Whisk the eggs and add to the chocolate mix and stir until well blended.
- Pour mix into the spring form. Place spring form in a large pot or roasting pan, add water until the level of the cake batter.
- Bake cake in the oven for approx. 50-55 minutes. The center of the cake should no longer jiggle.
- Remove cake from pan (leave in spring form) and cool on rack.
- Then make the ganache
- Chop the chocolate. Bring whipping cream to a simmer and add the chocolate and stir until smooth.
Poor the mix over the cake, while still in the spring form. Refrigerate cake overnight.
- Chop the chocolate. Bring whipping cream to a simmer and add the chocolate and stir until smooth.
- Now make the hazelnut crust
- Peel the hazelnuts, boil them in water and baking soda for approx. 3 minutes.
- Remove the hazelnuts from the pan and place them into a bowl with ice water. Remove the skin with your fingers and dry them with a kitchen towel. Roast them for 15 minutes in the oven. Cool the nuts and place them in the food processor and pulse until they become course or finer pieces of nuts. I kept them rather course avoiding the hazelnuts to turn to dust.
- Final touches
- Run a knife around the sides of the spring form and un-clamp the ring. Open the ring a little bit and check to be sure it has come away cleanly from the sides.
- Remove the cake from the bottom and place on flat dish. Use your hands and press the hazelnut pieces into the sides of the cake.
It does require some washing up afterwards, but when you make something like this, every part of exercise helps 🙂
Flourless Double Chocolate Cake with Hazelnuts
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 9 tablespoons butter
- 18 ounces dark chocolate
- 6 eggs
For the Ganache
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 8 ounces dark chocolate
For the Hazelnut Crust
- 1 cup hazelnuts
- 2 cups water
- 3 tablespoons baking soda
Instructions
- Butter a 9-inch spring form, then line with parchment paper and butter parchment paper. Wrap spring form with a few layers of aluminum foil.
Make the Cake
- Combine water and sugar and bring to a boil. Dissolve the sugar and simmer for a few minutes.
- Melt the butter, and chop the chocolate. Add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Add the syrup (water/sugar solution) and mix with the chocolate. Allow to cool a little.
- Whisk the eggs slightly and add to the chocolate mix and stir until well blended.
- Pour mix into the spring form. Place spring form in a large pot or roasting pan, add water until the level of the cake batter.
- Bake cake in the oven for approx. 50-55 minutes. The center of the cake should no longer jiggle.
- Remove cake from pan (leave in spring form) and cool on rack.
Make the Ganache
- Chop the chocolate. Bring whipping cream to a simmer and add the chocolate and stir until smooth.
- Poor the mix over the cake, while still in the spring form. Refrigerate cake overnight.
Prepare the Hazelnut Crust
- To peel the hazelnuts for the hazelnut crust: bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add the baking soda. Add the hazelnuts and boil for approx. 3 minutes. Be aware that this is going to become a foamy business, so use a high saucepan, otherwise it will foam over. The water will also turn purple black.
- After about 3 minutes remove the hazelnuts from the pan and place them into a bowl with ice water. Remove the skin with your fingers. Place nuts on a kitchen towel and dry them. Once dried, place them on a baking dish and toast them for 15 minutes in the oven. Cool and place them in the food processor and pulse until they become course or finer pieces of nuts. I kept them rather course avoiding the hazelnuts to turn to dust.
Final Touches
- Run knife around the sides of the spring form and un-clamp the ring. Open the ring a little bit and check to be sure it has come away cleanly from the sides.
- Remove the cake from the bottom and place on flat dish. Use your hands and press the hazelnut pieces into the sides of the cake.
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