Chocolate Hazelnut Surprise Cake
Submitted by cruth55
Cocoa-espresso cake loaded with toasted ground hazelnuts and glazed with warm seedless raspberry jam. Topped with fresh raspberries and chopped hazelnuts for an elegant, butter-free finish.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
90 minCOOK
35 minREADY
125 minThe “surprise” here is the raspberry jam layer waiting on top of a deeply chocolatey, nutty cake. One bite and you get the cocoa-espresso base, the crunch of toasted hazelnuts, and a burst of fruity brightness all at once.
This cake skips butter entirely. Vegetable oil and brewed espresso keep the crumb moist and give it an almost brownie-like density. Ground toasted hazelnuts folded into the batter add richness and a texture that’s more interesting than any all-flour cake can offer.
A warm raspberry jam glaze gets spread over the top while the cake cools, then fresh raspberries and chopped hazelnuts ring the edge for a presentation that looks far fancier than the effort involved.
Kitchen Tips
- Toast and skin the hazelnuts before anything else. Rub them in a mesh strainer while warm and the papery skins slip right off
- Pulse the hazelnuts with a tablespoon of sugar in the food processor. The sugar absorbs oils and keeps them from turning into nut butter
- Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture gently. Overmixing will knock out the air you just beat in
- Serve in thin wedges. The cake is dense and rich, so a little goes a long way
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Spread hazelnuts on baking pan and heat until skins cracked and nuts are toasted.
Transfer to wire mesh strainer and protecting your hand with a potholder and holding strainer over a bowl or sink, rub nuts briskly to remove skins and cool.
Set aside 12 hazelnuts, coarsely chop and reserve for garnish.
Finely chop remaining hazelnuts in food processor with 1 tablespoon of sugar and set aside.
Lightly oil and flour a 10 inch springform pan.
Shake out excess flour.
Beat whole eggs and egg whites in large mixing bowl until frothy.
Gradually beat in remaining ¾ cup sugar.
Continue beating until mixture is pale yellow in color.
At lowest speed, beat in oil in slow, steady stream.
Add coffee and vanilla.
Stir flour, cocoa powder and salt together in a large bowl.
Stir in the finely chopped hazelnut-sugar mixture.
Add egg mixture and gently fold until thoroughly blended.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake until edges pull away from sides of pan and center is firm to the touch, about 35 minutes.
Cool on wire rack 30 minutes.
In a small saucepan, heat raspberry jam on low heat until melted and smooth.
Spread in smooth, even layer on top of cake.
Let stand until cake is thoroughly cooled and jam is set.
Loosen sides of cake with small spatula.
Remove sides of pan and slide cake onto serving platter.
Decorate top with border of reserved chopped hazelnuts and evenly spaced raspberries.
Serve in thin wedges.
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