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So who’s up for some hot chocolate on chocolate action?
It was past midnight and one of these aforementioned moods reared its inconvenient head and everything including sleep and study had to be put on hold. Getting studious with Cicero is raunchy and all but he’s not what I needed at 12:41am. And despite what Russell Crowe would have us believe, Ancient Rome just isn’t as sexy as streaks of melting chocolate between my fingers and licking the bowl of batter. By the way, I still stand by the notion that spontaneous baking moods are a valid excuse for late assignments. Despite what the Professor might think.
Anyhow, here in this boudoir, hot gooey chocolate, hazelnut meal and wicked brown sugar comes together for a dense, fudgy cake that isn’t too dissimiliar to a brownie. Freshly baked for your pleasure, it’s warm and comforting and ready for you to get your fork on (or hands – whatever your fetish). And because we’re feeling hedonistic, don’t forget a good lashing of chocolate ganache. No need to get pretty, just pour and watch it cascade sensually. Satisfaction is always guaranteed with chocolate. Too bad my thighs are coming off second best.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
200g dark chocolate – roughly chopped
150g unsalted butter – roughly chopped
35g (abt 1/3 C) cocoa powder
80ml (abt 1/3 C) hot water
250g brown sugar
150 g hazelnut meal
4 eggs separated
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C and grease and line with baking paper a 20-22cm round cake pan.
In a small pot (or double boiler) over low heat, melt butter and chocolate together and mix until combined.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cocoa and hot water and stir until smooth. Add the chocolate/butter mixture, sugar, hazelnut meal and egg yolks and stir untill combined.
In a separate clean and dry bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks. Fold into the chocolate mixture in two batches.
Pour batter into cake pan and bake for about 40-50 minutes until top is firm and the skewer comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs (you still want it to be fudgey in the centre). The cake will rise while baking but it’ll sink as it cools so don’t panic.
Stand cake for 15 minutes before turning out on the wire rack (top side up) to cool.
Ganache
100g dark chocolate – roughly chopped
1/4 cup thickened cream
1 tablespoon Frangelico or Kahlua, optional
Place chocolate in a bowl and set aside. Bring the cream (and liqueur if using) to a gentle boil then pour over the chocolate and sit for a minute. Beat until chocolate has completely melted and is all combined. Now pour. And eat.
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
HI Karen,
Great pictures as usual… I think I've gained a few pounds just looking at your cake. Another great recipe for my collection!
OH YUM!!!!!!!!! I love chocolate and halzenut together! This cake looks amazing!!! yummyy!!!!
Oh, I hear ya, those middle of the night urges…. and doesn't it feel extra naughty and delicious to give into these urges? On top of the deliciousness of the chocolate cake? Mind you, I wouldn't mind sharing a chocolate cake with Russell Crowe…. since you brought him up..
Sexy, indeed! Love this recipe. Can't wait to try it.
Yumm Karen your photos are so good that even though I can't eat it I really want to! All that oozing hot chocolate…drool!
OMG KAren.. I LOVE your photos! looking at it, I'm drooling.
What a cake! This is a winner for me. Chocolate and hazelnut, yum!
Girlfriedn, you're speaking to me in photos. I love a good drip photo and yours is posing lasciviously and lusciously!
Hi Trissa – haha then you should see my weight gain from actually eating it!
Hi Jennifer – aah then you'd appreciate the genius that is Nutella like I do!
Hi Barbara – great minds think alike! Speaking of urges… Russell Crowe and chocolate cake… *roar*
Hi Kristen – I hope you enjoy it as much as I er, obviously did :)
Hi Stephcookie – I'll have to bake an equally rich nutless chocolate cake just for you :)
Hi Linda – hehe my job's done then :P
Hi Anh – hehe thanks lovely xx
This looks delicious – a perfect late-night snack. And Cicero just cannot compete.
Looks decadent and I love the chocolate glaze on it.
Your cake looks fantastic, and the ganache is perfection!
This looks awesome…and I love that you made it in the middle of the night!
This cake looks amazing! Do you think I could replace the hazelnut meal with almond meal?
Karen, I have a little something for you over at my blog:
http://bakeinparis.blogspot.com/2009/08/merci-jill.html
Regards
Kris
Hee hee this cake is definitely sexier than Ancient Rome :P Love the oozing down the sides shot
You always have the best chocolate recipes! It always seems like those spotaneous baking moods pop up when I'm supposed to be doing work… but now at least I can bake a flourless chocolate hazelnut cake during one of those moods =)
Hi Fearless Kitchen – ahh great minds think alike!
Hi Jo – thanks so much xx
Hi lisaiscooking – you're too kind! Nothing beats a good glaze!
Hi Hungry Dog – lol there are a few who appreciates these odd clandestine baking stoushes (mainly cos they get to wake up to food!).
Hi Amy – absolutely you can and it'll probably make for a slighty smoother and moister cake since I find that almond meal isn't as dry as hazelnut. The only bad thing is you'll lose the beautiful taste of hazelnuts.
Hi bake in paris – Kris, you're too kind! It is I who should be giving you that award for your beautiful photos and blog!
Hi FFichiban – oh yes, gotta love a sexy ooze!
Hi Jacq – thanks so much! Unfortunately my hips ain't liking the chocolate desserts as much! Baking moods during work would be disastrous seeing as you can't exactly escape to a kitchen lol!
This looks divine. The chocolate looks so rich and almost molten. I now have a serious chocolate craving!
This cake is SUPERB….I made it on the weekend and served it with raspberries…been meaning to post a comment here about it. Absolutely gorgeous!!! Thank you for sharing a GREAT recipe… :)
Hi! I'm wondering if I could use xylitol or stevia, or another sugar substitute, instead of the brown sugar? My daughter wants a choc./hazelnut cake for her bday, but I can't have sugar…no fun to make if ya can't have some! Oh yeah, I'd have to use sugarfree chocolate too…possible?
Hi Julie!
I don't see how substituting brown sugar for sweeteners should be a problem so it should be all good! I'm not sure if xylitol or stevia have an all-round sweeter 'flavour' than brown sugar so might have to experiment with it to prevent the cake from being too sweet. Also you could use liquid sweeteners such as agave syrup/nectar, maple syrup or honey but obviously the recipe would have to be adjusted to make way for the extra liquid, i.e. adding more almond meal and dry ingredients. Again, would probably have to experiment a little.
And sugarfree chocolate is absolutely possible! I'm not sure what the brands are specifically but two come to mind – http://www.amberlynchocolates.com and I believe Hersheys makes a sugar-free version too. I'm sure you'll find heaps of info if you google it.
I'm sorry if I can't be any more help in this department but hopefully you'll find your answers soon and both you and your daughter will enjoy the cake together. Let me know how you go :D
Hi there! I found your blog post when I googled 'hazelnut meal' and 'chocolate'! Because I was working with a relatively short window of time, I spooned the batter into 12 muffin cases instead and baked for 25 minutes and they were absolute heaven!
Everyone who had one told me I HAD to make them again, immediately if possible ;-)
So thanks for the recipe!
I have a problem with wheat, so it was a lovely surprise to find these flourless recipes. And I am a chocoholic on top of it. So, I AM going to try, today, your flourless chocolate hazelnut cake. Thanks.
Hi Josephine – I'm so glad to enjoyed it! :D
Hi EMR – Hope you enjoy it! And thanks for your comment!
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