Flourless Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake with Frangelico Cream
This is one of the easiest cakes I have in my repertoire and one of the most popular as well. Last weekend we had a last minute impromptu get together with friends and, because I wear the dessert hat, I was tasked with bringing dessert. Literally 10 minutes to make, 25 minutes to cook, (and an hour in the freezer to cool down if you’re in a massive hurry like I was), 2 minutes to stir some cream and liqueur together, chop up a few strawberries, and boom, dessert done.
And the best part is that it is so luxuriously rich and fancy that people will think you’ve put a lot of work into it, which you haven’t…..jokes on them, haha!!
PS. It is meant to sink in the middle and crack a little on top - don’t panic, it was meant to be!!
Mel xoxo
Flourless Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake with Frangelico Cream
serves 10-12
Ingredients
250g unsalted butter, very soft
210g caster sugar
1 tbsp instant coffee
5 eggs, lightly beaten
250g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
100g hazelnut meal
Frangelico Cream
250g mascarpone
1 tbsp pure icing sugar, sifted
2 tbsp Frangelico liqueur (optional, substitute with lemon or orange juice, or orange blossom water)
Garnish
dark cocoa powder
fresh berries
toasted hazelnuts
Method
Preheat oven to 180C and line a 23cm round springform tin with baking paper.
In a stand mixer bowl fitted with the flat beater, place the butter, sugar and instant coffee and beat on medium speed until pale and creamy. Add the eggs gradually, and mix until incorporated (don’t overmix, we don’t want to add too much air into this cake). Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave at 30 second bursts (mixing each time) until melted. Add the melted chocolate to the mixer bowl along with the hazelnut meal and mix until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top. Bake for around 25-28 minutes - the cake should still have a wobble in the centre. Allow to cool on a wire rack and then refrigerate to firm it up a bit.
To make the cream, mix all ingredients together until smooth and refrigerate until required.
Remove the cake from the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving. Dust with cocoa powder and serve at room temperature with the Frangelico cream, fresh berries and toasted hazelnuts.
Tip: use a hot knife to cut the cake.
