Hazelnut Cocoa Cake Recipes

HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare the springform pan by coating it in a thin layer with 2 tablespoons of the softened butter. Add the cocoa powder to the pan and tap the sides to coat the bottom and sides evenly. Discard any excess cocoa powder. Put the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven on the center rack until just fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer immediately to a kitchen towel to stop them from cooking. Use the towel to rub off the skins. Set aside to cool. Lower the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Fill a 1- to 2-quart pot with about 1 inch of water and bring it to a bare simmer over medium heat. Place the dark chocolate pieces into a heatproof bowl and set it over the pot and simmering water (this is a bain-marie). The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Let the chocolate melt, and then stir gently. Remove from the heat when melted.
• Chop the hazelnuts into small pieces using a chef's knife or a food processor. Make sure you don't turn them into powder. Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer with the salt until they are almost at stiff peaks. Try not to over-whip. Mix together the remaining 5 tablespoons butter with the chocolate hazelnut spread in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Stir in the espresso. Add the yolks and stir briskly to combine. Stir in the chopped hazelnuts and melted chocolate. Add one-fourth of the whipped egg whites to the chocolate hazelnut mixture and stir to lighten the batter. Then gently fold the rest of the egg whites into the batter in 3 additions. Don't over-fold. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake on the center rack of the oven until the sides of the cake start releasing from edges of the pan, 40 minutes. This cake is almost a hazelnut fudge, so no need to poke with a toothpick to check if the inside is ready or not. The cake will come out of the oven nice and fluffy and souffled, but it will deflate to half the size during its cool-off period. Serve garnished with some powdered sugar and whipped or cream or gelato, if using.

HAZELNUT COCOA CAKE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with cheese, beating well after each addition. Stir in water until blended., Pour into two 6-in. round baking pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Spread Nutella between layers and over the top of cake. Sprinkle with hazelnuts.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CELEBRATION CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease four 6-inch-round, 3-inch-tall cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment.
• Put the hazelnuts in a food processor and grind them until you have small crumbs. Measure out 1/4 cup of the hazelnut crumbs and set them aside for the frosting.
• Pour the remaining hazelnut crumbs into a large bowl and whisk in the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, vanilla and eggs. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and then stir in the hot coffee. It will be a very thin batter.
• Pour into the prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness at 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them onto a greased cooling rack.
• For the frosting: While the cakes are cooling, use an electric mixer to beat together the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and salt until smooth. Mix in the heavy cream until smooth. Scoop out a tiny amount of frosting for the mustard-colored dollops, add the mustard yellow food coloring and mix until combined. Transfer the yellow frosting to a piping bag with a small round tip. To the remaining frosting, add the dusty rose pink food coloring and mix until the desired shade of pink. Measure out 1 cup of the pink frosting and transfer it to a small bowl. Fold in the reserved 1/4 cup ground hazelnuts.
• Level your cake layers and spread the top of one of them with the hazelnutty frosting. Place a second layer on top, then frost the top with more of the hazelnutty frosting. Continue with the remaining 2 layers. Frost the top and sides with the remaining pink frosting without nuts.
• For the decorations: Decorate with mustard dollops of frosting around the edge. Add marzipan house cutouts of white houses with green shutters, crushed hazelnuts, green grass sprinkles, orange sun sprinkles or whatever else you'd like!

HAZELNUT COCOA COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat the butter, chocolate-hazelnut spread, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Blend the whole egg into the butter mixture. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix the dry mixture into the egg and sugar mixture about 1/3 at a time until all the flour is incorporated. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Roll dough into large balls (about the size of a golf ball) and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until cookie is slightly firm on the outside, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool cookies on pans before removing.

CHOCOLATE, HAZELNUT AND COCONUT CAKE

Steps:

• In a mixer (or bowl) combine the eggs, sugar, butter and oil. Beat until fluffy and pale yellow. Add the buttermilk and vanilla and beat well to mix.
• In another bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and soda. Add to the wet ingredients in three batches on low speed. Beat each time until the mix just comes together. With the mixer running, add the boiling water and coffee and beat until a smooth batter is formed.
• Butter and flour (or line with baking paper) two 8" round cake pans. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and place in a preheated 375°F oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean from the center. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes and turn out on to the wire rack and allow to cool.
• For the filling: in a large saucepan over medium-high meat, bring the cream to a boil watching carefully. Cream will boil over easily. Remove from heat immediately when it comes to a boil.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar and whisk until pale and light. Add a little of the hot mixture to the eggs and whisk smooth. Pour the eggs into the hot cream. Using a spatula, mix until smooth. Return to low heat and stir until the mixture begins to thicken (about 1-2 minutes). Be very careful not to boil the egg mixture or it will separate. Strain through a sieve back into the mixing bowl and add the coconut and hazelnuts. Stir well, cover with plastic film and chill until needed.
• For the icing: In a mixer, combine the butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa. Whip on low speed until well blended. Beat on high speed until fluffy.
• To assemble the cake, cut each cake in half. Place a bottom layer on a serving plate, spread some of the chilled coconut mixture over the surface. Top with a second cake half and continue with the rest of the cake layers and filling. Using a spatula, spread the icing evenly over the surface of the cake.
• For decoration, you can press toasted coconut or nuts onto the side of the cake.

HAZELNUT CHIFFON CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, hazelnuts, baking powder and salt. Whisk the egg yolks, water, oil and vanilla; add to dry ingredients. Beat until well blended. In another large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form; fold into batter., Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cut through the batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake on the lowest rack at 325° for 60-70 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert the pan onto a wire rack; cool completely. Carefully run a knife around edges and center tube to loosen; remove cake., In a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar. Beat in the baking cocoa, vanilla and enough coffee to achieve desired consistency. Frost cake.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Microwave cream in a large bowl on high until steaming.
• Add chocolate; let stand 5 minutes.
• Stir until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.
• Cover surface directly with plastic wrap; refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours.
• Cake: Heat oven to 350°F.
• You'll need two 9 x 2-in. round cake pans, greased and floured.
• Whisk cocoa powder and water in a medium bowl, then Nutella and buttermilk, Frangelico and vanilla.
• Beat sugar, butter, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl with mixer on medium-high speed 3 minutes or until pale.
• Beat in eggs 1 at a time.
• On low speed beat in flour in 3 additions alternating with cocoa mixture in 2 additions, beating just until blended.
• Pour into prepared pans.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes until a pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on rack 10 minutes.
• Run a knife around edge of each layer; turn out on rack and cool completely.
• Insert several toothpicks halfway up side around both cake layers.
• Using picks as a guide, cut layers in half with a long serrated knife.
• Filling & frosting: Beat cold chocolate mixture on medium speed until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted.
• Put Nutella into a bowl; stir in 1 1/2 cups chocolate mixture until smooth. Fold into remaining chocolate mixture until combined.
• Remove 2 1/2 cups to a bowl; stir in hazelnuts for filling.
• Reserve remainder for frosting.
• To assemble: Place 1 cake layer on serving plate; spread with 1/3 the filling (1 scant cup).
• Top with second layer and 1/2 the remaining filling; repeat with third layer and remaining filling.
• Top with last cake layer.
• Spread a thin layer of frosting over top and sides; refrigerate 15 minutes to firm.
• Spread top and sides with remaining frosting.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Garnish just before serving.
• Plan ahead: Wrap cooled cake layers and make frosting (through Step 1) up to 2 days ahead.
• Cover the frosted cake and refrigerate up to 3 days.

COCOA-SWIRL COFFEE CAKE WITH HAZELNUT CRUMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until fragrant and golden brown and skins are loosened. Rub nuts in a clean kitchen towel to remove skins, then coarsely chop.
• Brush a 9-by-2-inch square cake pan with butter. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Butter parchment, then dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using your fingers, work butter into mixture until it has the texture of coarse meal. Remove and reserve 2/3 cup of mixture.
• Make a well in center of remaining mixture in bowl and add eggs, whisking to break up, then add yogurt and vanilla. Whisk to combine into a batter (you might see some small specks of butter; that's okay). Scrape about three-quarters of batter into prepared pan, then whisk cocoa into remaining batter. Dollop evenly over top and swirl with a toothpick or skewer.
• Return reserved flour-butter mixture to bowl and stir in hazelnuts until a granola-like mixture forms. Sprinkle over top of batter in pan, squeezing to create clumps. Bake until top of cake springs back when lightly pressed, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes.
• Using overhangs, lift out of pan and transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Cut into 12 squares. Cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

CHOCOLATE, ORANGE & HAZELNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Make the candied orange slices a day ahead if you can. Put the sugar and 300ml water in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer, add the orange slices and cook for 1 hr-1 hr 10 mins or until the pith is translucent, turning occasionally. Line a baking tray with parchment. Carefully remove the slices from the syrup, place on the prepared tray and set aside to dry (at least 8 hrs) before cutting in half. Reserve the syrup.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly grease a loaf tin (mine was 900g) with olive oil and line with a strip of baking parchment.
• Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs (do not blitz them too much or they will become oily), then add to a bowl along with the orange zest, a pinch of salt and the flour, baking powder and cocoa. Mix together until evenly combined.
• Pour the oil and the orange juice into a jug and mix together. Put the eggs and sugar in a tabletop mixer or large bowl and whisk together for 5-10 mins or until the mixture has tripled in volume and holds a ribbon on the surface when the beaters are lifted out. Slowly pour the oil mixture into the egg mixture and fold together until combined.
• Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture in 3 or 4 additions, folding together until combined. You can't sieve this mixture over the eggs because of the hazelnuts, but try not to dump the flour in one place - you need to be careful and fold the batter to retain its lightness. Once fully combined, pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 50-55 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• Prick the top of the cake all over, then pour over 5 tbsp of the reserved orange syrup. Cool in the tin for 15 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Trim the top of the cake (keep this for a mini trifle) and turn out, cut-side down, onto a serving platter.
• To decorate, pour the orange juice into a small pan and bring to a simmer. Put the chocolate in a small bowl, pour the orange juice over and stir together to form a smooth ganache. Set aside in the fridge until thickened, about 20-25 mins. Tip the hazelnuts into a small bowl and add the gold powder with a dash of water, stirring together to coat. Put the ganache in a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip. Pipe in peaks over the top of the cake, decorating with the golden hazelnuts and the orange slices. Will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.