Chocolate and Hazelnut Bundt Cake

Today, I’m sharing a terribly indulgent recipe that’s super easy to make: the chocolate and hazelnut bundt cake. With its chocolate glaze and a few chopped hazelnuts, we’re reaching quite a level of indulgence here.

I found the recipe on the Lindt website. You get a very moist cake with a lovely chocolate taste. It may sound silly, but I was looking for a recipe based on chocolate rather than cocoa powder. And even though there’s a little unsweetened cocoa powder, the cake isn’t made solely from cocoa (personally, I don’t like the taste at all).

Which mould should you use?

We’re seeing more and more bundt cakes online, this cake is all the rage! Then again, it does look pretty impressive, doesn’t it? You should know that while the bundt cake is an American creation, its ancestors are said to be the German “gugelhupf” and the Alsatian “kouglof” (glad you know that now, eh? :D)

A Bundt cake mould is recognisable by its fluted or grooved sides, but above all by its central tube or “chimney”, which leaves a cylindrical hole in the centre of the cake. This allows faster and more even heat distribution during baking.

Here I used a Bundt cake mould from the Nordic Ware brand, which I really like (as well as being pretty, it’s top quality), but there are others. It’s even possible to use a silicone mould, but I must confess I have a preference for metal moulds for this kind of cake.

How do you unmould it successfully?

In theory, if you use a silicone mould, you don’t need to grease the mould. I say “in theory” because it all depends on the quality of your mould. But as I was saying just above, I’m not too keen on silicone for this kind of large cake. I’d be far too scared of the unmoulding, especially when there are small details (which is characteristic of this kind of cake mould).

If you use a metal mould like me, I advise you to take the time to grease it well before putting in the batter. Take some very soft butter and a brush and go into every little nook of the mould, not forgetting the edges of the chimney in the centre. I’ve never had an unmoulding problem and all the little details are preserved 🙂

Why do you need to roast the hazelnuts and the ground hazelnuts?

Roasting consists of dry-toasting nuts in the oven (here hazelnuts, but it could be almonds, peanuts, pistachios, pine nuts, all kinds of nuts…). This baking dries out the hazelnut, which helps concentrate the flavours and amplify them.

In practical terms, to roast hazelnuts, simply place them on a baking tray and bake them for about 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 150°C. 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).

I also advise you to roast the ground hazelnuts. Once again, this helps develop the aromas. It makes all the difference when you taste it.