We have a huge number of chocolate cake recipes for all occasions, but this is top of our list. It makes a very good birthday cake, dusted with cocoa powder or icing sugar and covered in candles. It is also great for a dinner party or with an afternoon coffee. It’s dense and fudgy with a slight crunch from the hazelnuts and is always greeted with gasps of delight from guests – especially when served warm.
SERVES 8-12
200g hazelnuts
250g unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for the tin
300g good-quality dark chocolate
150g light muscovado sugar
3 tbsp chocolate and hazelnut spread
1 tsp sea salt
6 eggs, separated
double cream, to serve
1 Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7.
2 Put the hazelnuts on a baking tray, pop into the oven and roast for 5-10 minutes, giving the tray a good shake halfway through, until they are golden brown. Take out of the oven and leave to cool. Place in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. If you prefer a crunchier cake, don’t blitz to a powder.
3 Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/gas 4. Butter a 20cm springform tin and line with baking paper.
4 Put the chocolate, butter and sugar in a pan and melt over a gentle heat; do not let the chocolate burn. Simmer gently for a couple of minutes, then take off the heat and stir in the chocolate spread and sea salt. Leave to cool.
5 Using a hand-held electric whisk, whisk the egg whites until they are fluffy, forming soft peaks. Once the chocolate mixture has cooled, beat in the egg yolks one at a time.
6 Add a couple of tablespoons of the whisked egg whites to the chocolate mixture and combine to loosen the batter, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites, followed by the hazelnuts.
7 Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. It should be dry to the touch but still slightly wobbly underneath. Leave to cool in the tin before carefully releasing and cutting into slices (the cake will most likely sink a little in the middle – this is normal). Serve with softly whipped double cream.
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