Words fail me to describe this double chocolate and hazelnut cake. A delight. A marvel. An absolute treat. It’s a recipe by chef Karim Bourgi that I discovered on Instagram. This cake is made up of a dark chocolate fondant with chopped hazelnuts, topped with a baked milk chocolate ganache.
Which mould should you use to make this double chocolate and hazelnut cake?
First of all, you need to be careful to use the right mould to make this dessert. The ideal is a springform tin, which will stop the batter and the ganache from escaping (I speak from experience…). I didn’t have one so I used an entremets ring, but it leaked… If you use a ring like me, I advise you to close the bottom of the ring with aluminium foil and, to stop the cake sticking to the foil, to place a circle of baking paper on top. There, you should be fine!
One last recommendation, and not the least important: you absolutely must respect the cake’s resting time. Don’t remove the ring too soon and, above all, put the cake in the fridge for at least an hour, so that the ganache has time to set a little. It’s a cake that is quite fragile when it comes out of the oven.
Why do you need to roast the hazelnuts?
Roasting consists of dry-toasting nuts in the oven (here hazelnuts, but it could be almonds, peanuts, pistachios, pine nuts, walnuts of all kinds…). This cooking will dry out the hazelnut, which concentrates the flavours and amplifies them.
In practical terms, to roast the hazelnuts, simply place them on a baking tray and put them in an oven preheated to 150°C for about 15 minutes. Once cooled, place them in a clean tea towel and rub them against each other to remove the brown skins (it doesn’t matter if a little remains).
You can also roast ground hazelnuts or ground almonds. Once again, this helps develop the aromas. It makes all the difference when tasting.
Ingredients & Method
2 components · Full recipe
Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake
Ingredients
- 40 g (1.4 oz) dark chocolate Caraïbe 66% by Valrhona
- 95 g (3.4 oz) heavy whipping cream
- 95 g (3.4 oz) sugar
- 95 g (3.4 oz) Piedmont hazelnuts Pariani
- 15 g (0.5 oz) cornstarch
- 1.4 g (0 oz) baking powder
- 70 g (2.5 oz) whole eggs (note: 1 egg = approximately 50 g (1.8 oz))
- 30 g (1.1 oz) egg yolks (note: 1 yolk = between 15 and 20 g (0.7 oz))
- 1 teaspoon Norohy vanilla extract
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 160°C / 325°F.
2
Toast the hazelnuts in the oven for 10 minutes.
3
In a bowl, gently melt the dark chocolate in a bain-marie or in the microwave.
4
In a small saucepan, heat the cream and bring to a boil.
5
Pour one third of the cream over the dark chocolate and mix with a spatula to create an emulsion. Then pour a second third, then a third, to obtain a smooth, homogeneous mixture. To get 70 g (2.5 oz) of whole eggs, you will need approximately one and a half eggs (a medium egg weighs 50 g (1.8 oz)). Keep the rest for the ganache. In a small food processor, blitz together the sugar, toasted hazelnuts, cornstarch and baking powder for 10 seconds.
6
Then add the whole eggs, egg yolks and vanilla and blitz again for 5 seconds.
7
Finally, fold the chocolate ganache into the previous mixture using a rubber spatula.
Baked Milk Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
- 230 g (8.1 oz) Jivara 40% milk chocolate by Valrhona (or 140 g (4.9 oz) Caraïbes 66% dark chocolate by Valrhona)
- 190 g (6.7 oz) heavy whipping cream
- 35 g (1.2 oz) milk
- 35 g (1.2 oz) whole eggs (note: 1 egg weighs approximately 50 g (1.8 oz))
- 1/2 teaspoon Norohy vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
Method
1
In a bowl, gently melt the milk chocolate in a bain-marie or in the microwave.
2
In a small saucepan, heat the cream and bring to a boil.
3
Pour one third of the cream over the milk chocolate and mix with a spatula to create an emulsion. Then pour a second third, then a third, to obtain a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
4
Pour the ganache into a jug and add the milk, whole eggs, vanilla and salt. Blend with an immersion blender for a few seconds.
5
Pour the ganache over the fondant and bake again for 17 minutes. The cream should be set around the edges but still slightly wobbly in the centre.
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