This chocolate hazelnut cake is the perfect simple snacking cake. A flavorful, quick hazelnut praline is swirled into a whipped ganache over a rich chocolate cake. It’s the best way to enjoy your morning coffee or an afternoon snack.
This sweet little cake is my ideal dessert. It’s not fussy, just great ingredients shining brightly. Hazelnut is one of those ingredients that just screams “I’m special” all on it’s own and we get to use it in two ways in this cake.
Looking for similar desserts, also try this chocolate peanut butter cake!
What Makes this Cake Special?
- Hazelnut flour in the cake give us a fabulous nutty flavor.
- This ridiculously rich chocolate cake requires no mixer, just two bowls and a pan!
- A super easy hazelnut praline is a great way to start playing with caramel.
- Whipped ganache on top really doubles the chocolatey goodness.
Ingredients
Let’s review what is in this chocolate snack cake:
- All-purpose flour. The base of our cake. Helps to keep things light and soft.
- Hazelnut flour. This will give us a hazelnut flavor throughout to the cake and give a rich texture. I purchase pre-ground hazelnut flour 1. because it costs about the same as whole hazelnuts and 2. because the texture is better than I can grind at home. Hazelnut flour can be tricky to find in all stores, but readily available online.
- Cocoa powder. I used Dutch-processed cocoa for a richer chocolate flavor. But natural cocoa powder will also work. King Arthur Flour does a great job of explaining the differences.
- Baking powder & baking soda. Provides the lift to the cake.
- Canola oil. Provides a moist texture that doesn’t overpower the flavor of the chocolate. You can use any neutral oil like vegetable oil as well.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar. I use both in the cake because the brown sugar really helps to make the cake ooey-gooey. I prefer dark brown sugar here for the extra molasses fugdy-ness, but light brown works as well.
- Eggs. For structure.
- Hot coffee & espresso powder. Coffee brings out the flavor of the chocolate without adding any actual coffee taste. You can also use hot water in a pinch.
- Whole hazelnuts. We’re going to make our own hazelnut praline, which means we need whole hazelnuts to start!
- Semi-sweet chocolate. Use baking chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips for a smooth and silky ganache.
- Heavy cream. Needed for our ganache. Do not substitute milk, we need the heavy cream for the texture.
- Butter. A little butter in the ganache makes for a smooth, rich texture.
Making Chocolate Cake
Making this chocolate cake couldn’t be easier. Literally could not.
Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients (expect the hot coffee or water) in another bowl. Mix those two bowl together then add the hot coffee.
Why is hot coffee used in chocolate cake? The hot coffee blooms the cocoa powder and intensifies the chocolate flavor. It also provides a rich and fudgy texture to the cake. Water will also bloom the cocoa, but the flavor of coffee brings out more chocolate flavor. It’s like adding salt to savory foods (or sweet foods for that matter) it’s a flavor enhancer!
Hazelnut Praline Ganache
Because our cake is so simple, we can focus just a little bit more on the icing. Plus, you can make this icing in advance (both or either component) so it is ready to go when you are!
Hazelnut Praline
Step one is to make the hazelnut praline paste to blend into the ganache. Praline is really just caramel on nuts, not so complicated, right?
Combine toasted whole hazelnuts and sugar in a small, heavy bottomed saucepan. Warm the pan over medium heat, stirring every so often to avoid burning and crystallization of the sugar.
You will see the sugar begin to clump at first, then melt into a clear liquid, and finally start to darken to an amber color. Once you hit that color, remove from the heat and pour the mixture onto a silicone mat (best to prevent sticking) or greased parchment paper to cool.
Once cooled, blend the mixture in a food processor or blender until a paste forms. First, the mixture will look like ground nuts, but keep going! Scrape down the sides of the container as needed and keep blending until you have a smooth paste.
Whipped Ganache
Ganache is typically two ingredients – chocolate and heavy cream. We’re going to add that praline paste from earlier to making is awesome.
For the smoothest chocolate, use a chocolate bar since chocolate chips are made not to melt. Roughly chop the chocolate very fine and cover with warmed heavy cream. Allow the bowl to sit for a minute or two to let the chocolate warm naturally.
Starting in the middle with small circles, start whisking the chocolate mixture. As you start to see streaks of melted chocolate, expand out the circles until the chocolate is glossy throughout.
Now, you could top the cake with the ganache like this, but I prefer to allow the ganache to chill so I can whip it and create more of a buttercream texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make the hazelnut praline up to a month in advance and the ganache up to 3 days in advance. Whip the ganache the day you bake the cake and top.
Almonds and almond flour would substitute well!
In my smaller town, I could not find hazelnuts too easily. They are more of a speciality or Whole Foods ingredient. Or you can try a store like Nuts.com
Yes, you can pour the warm ganache over the cake instead of letting it chill and whipping.
If you still have some chunks of chocolate remaining, you can heat the mixture over a double-boiler or in 10 second bursts at 50% power in the microwave. Avoid overheating.
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Silicone baking mat optional
- 2 Small saucepan
- 8" x 8" square cake tin
- Hand-mixer or stand-mixer
Ingredients
Hazelnut Praline
- 50 g whole hazelnuts plus extra for topping
- 25 g granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Ganache
- 113 g semi-sweet baking chocolate finely chopped
- 4 oz heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon butter
Chocolate Cake
- 90 g all-purpose flour
- 44 g hazelnut flour
- 21 g cocoa powder Dutch-processed (preferred) or natural
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder optional
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 53 g dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup hot coffee or water
Instructions
- Hazelnut praline (prep in advance). Place hazelnuts in a single layer in a frying pan and toast for 10 minutes over medium-low heat until fragrant, tossing occasionally. Remove as much of the skins as possible by rubbing hazelnuts inside a clean kitchen towel.50 g whole hazelnuts
- Combine cleaned hazelnuts and sugar in a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, allow sugar to melt and darken to an amber caramel color. Remove from the heat, stir in salt, and spread mixture on a silicone baking mat (or greased parchment paper).25 g granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Once cool, blend hazelnuts in a food processor or blender, scraping down sides as needed, until a paste forms.
- Ganache (prep in advance). Place chocolate and hazelnut praline paste in a large bowl. Heat heavy cream in a small pan until just starting to bubble on the edges. Pour over chocolate mixture and let stand for 1-2 minutes.113 g semi-sweet baking chocolate, 4 oz heavy cream
- Starting in the middle, whisk small circles until the chocolate begins to melt. Expand the circles until chocolate is fully melted into a shiny mixture. Stir in salt and butter. Cover a chill for at least 2 hours.1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 tablespoon butter
- Chocolate cake. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line an 8"x 8" square cake tin with parchment paper. Allow some overhang for easier removal. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder.90 g all-purpose flour, 44 g hazelnut flour, 21 g cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- In a second bowl, whisk together oil, sugars and eggs. Pour liquid ingredients into dry, whisk until combined. Whisk in hot coffee. Cake batter will be very thin.1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil, 100 g granulated sugar, 53 g dark brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup hot coffee or water
- Pour batter into prepared cake tin, tap on the counter a few times, and bake for 30-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once cool enough to handle, remove cake from tin and allow to cool completely on wire rack before icing.
- Assembly. Once ganache is chilled, whip with hand-mixer or stand-mixer until light and fluffy. Spread over cake and top with chopped hazelnuts if desired.
Notes
- Alternate sizes: Cake can also be baked in two 6″ round cake tins (reduce baking time to 22-24 minutes). Or in 9″ square cake tin (reduce baking time to 25-27 minutes).
- Praline can be made up to 1 month in advance. Ganache can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store both in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Store leftover cake in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Allow cake to warm to room temperature before serving.
Disclaimer: We test all recipes using the metric weights shown, we cannot guarantee outcomes when switching to US measurements.
