RICHMOND, Va. -- If you love “Nut-ella”, you'll be sure to love this creation. Cindy Kienzle, creator of the Hungry Monkey Baking Company stopped by the show to share her Chocolate Hazelnut Cake. For gift ideas, information and more, visit the website.
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus additional butter for the pan, 6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, 1 ⅓ cups hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and toasted again + ¼ cup extra hazelnuts for decoration on top, 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar, 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour, 5 large eggs, separated, plus 1 large yolk, ¼ teaspoon salt
Nutella Glaze
1 cup Nutella, 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1 1/2 Tablespoon light corn syrup
Whipped Topping – Optional1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 – 2 tbs confectioners’ sugar
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9-inch springform pan.
Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally to speed the process. Remove the bowl from the heat and cool to room temperature.
To skin the hazelnuts, toast and then place them between a dry towel and rub them to remove all the skins.
Place the skinned hazelnuts, ¼ cup of the sugar, and the flour in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse repeatedly until the nuts are finely ground.
Beat the 8 tablespoons butter with a handheld mixer or standing mixer at medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, beating until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the 6 egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the cooled chocolate and beat just until blended in. Stir in the ground hazelnuts.
Put the 5 egg whites and the salt in a large, clean bowl and beat with an electric mixer until they form stiff peaks. With a rubber spatula, fold in one-third of the whites to the chocolate-nut mixture. Carefully fold in the remaining whites in two batches, taking care not to deflate the batter. Pour the batter into prepared pan.
Bake until a toothpick or thin skewer inserted halfway between the center and the outer rim of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. (The center of the cake will still be moist.) Remove the pan from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack, about 3 hours. (The cake can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for several days.)
To make the Nutella Glaze: Add Nutella, corn syrup and heavy cream to a heat-safe bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir with a rubber spatula until Nutella is melted and mixture is smooth.
Allow to cool slightly before drizzling or gently pouring Nutella Glaze over the cake (place on rack with tinfoil underneath to catch extra glaze) using an inverted knife to spread if necessary. You can let the glaze drip down the side, or coat the entire cake. Decorate with hazelnuts. Cool in refrigerator. Cut the cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream on top or on the side.
To make the whipped cream, place heavy whipping cream in stand mixer and, starting with low and raising to high, whip the cream, adding in the confectioners’ sugar. Chill until use.
