Last time I visited my best friend, she made this hazelnut cake for me and just when I thought I couldn’t love her more, I proved myself wrong. This cake is out-of-this-world delicious and while it really requires some time, it is WORTH EVERY MINUTE. This cake is DEFINITELY very, very naughty, but I do make it for special occasions and am always grateful for the opportunity to do so because, like I said, it is out-of-this-world. If you are a Nutella fan and a fan of chocolate cake (let’s be honest, who isn’t?), this recipe is a must try!
Hazelnut Chocolate Mousse Cake- Courtesy of Janna Patterson
(original post here: http://www.jannapatterson.com/2013/06/hazelnut-chocolate-mousse-cake.html)
Ingredients:
Moist Chocolate Cake-
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Hazelnut Chocolate Mousse Frosting-
12 ounces high-quality, bittersweet chocolate
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 Tablespoon hazelnut extract (I usually skip the extract because I think the hazelnut flavor is strong enough without it)
1 and 1/3 cup Nutella, or other chocolate hazelnut spread
Directions:
Fit the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Grease three 8-inch pans (or do as I did if you don’t have three and just use one of them twice) and set aside. In a medium bowl sift together the first five ingredients and set aside. In the large bowl of a standing mixer, whisk together, by hand, the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla until combined, and then whisk in the melted butter. With the bowl under the paddle attachment running at a low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and continue to beat until smooth, about 2 minute. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in boiling water with a rubber spatula. Batter will be very loose. Pour the batter evenly between the three 8-inch pans and bake for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick or fork inserted in the center comes out with just a few steaming crumbs attached. Allow to cool to room temperature. If combining with the Hazelnut Chocolate Mousse Frosting, wrap entirely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours (or overnight) until completely cold.
Hazelnut Chocolate Mousse Frosting:
In a medium sauce pan, heat chocolate and heavy cream on medium-high heat, whisking constantly until it reaches a boil. Turn down to a low boil and continue whisking for another minute. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Quickly stir in the hazelnut extract and Nutella. Let cool completely to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap so that it’s directly touching the frosting, and put in the freezer overnight. It should be very thick, but not unworkable.
To Assemble the Cake: Just before spreading, gently whisk the frosting only until it’s spreadable. (You can use a wooden spoon if the frosting is too thick initially for the whisk.) Place each of the three cake layers side-by-side and frost just the tops with even portions of the frosting, heaping it toward the middle of each layer. Place the first layer on the desired serving stand and then stack the second and the third directly on top to create a three-layer cake. Get creative with the topping- a pile of raspberries, a pile of mixed berries, cherries with the stems still on, shaved chocolate, powdered sugar, etc. (I like raspberries)
No comments:
Post a Comment