A rich and decadent treat for chocolate lovers! Chocolate hazelnut cake layers together chocolate sponge cake, praline mousse, and hazelnut ganache.
This showstopper cake was featured in the October 2011 issue of Bon Appetit magazine. As a fan of Nutella, I was immediately drawn to the chocolate hazelnut pairing. I had to give the recipe a try.
The original recipe includes a chocolate glaze topping. I find that the cake is better without it! The rich glaze takes away from the hazelnut flavors.
This is a very involved dessert with numerous layers and components. I suggest breaking down the recipe and making the components over a couple days. And, if you don’t have time or patience to make the entire layer cake, I recommend just making the praline chocolate crunch! It’s such an addicting and satisfying snack in itself!
Ingredients
There are four components to this dessert: 1) praline chocolate crunch, 2) chocolate sponge cake, 3) hazelnut ganache, and 4) praline mousse.
You’ll need the usual baking ingredients: sugar, all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, eggs, butter, and heavy cream. Here are the speciality items that may need clarification:
- Blanched hazelnuts refer to hazelnuts that have had their skins removed. Purchased skinned hazelnuts or remove them yourself by gently roasting.
- Dark chocolate is chocolate with a high percentage of cacao, usually ranging from 50-80%. You may also use semi-sweet chocolate in its place. Milk chocolate refers to chocolate mixed with milk solids. It generally has a lower cacao percentage. You may use chocolate bars or chips.
- Puffed rice cereal is the generic name for Rice Krispies cereal. You can use any brand of rice puffs.
- Brandy is brushed on the chocolate sponge cake for moisture and flavor. If you don’t want to use alcohol, you may use simple syrup (mixture of one part water, one part sugar).
Easier Alternative Recipe
This chocolate hazelnut cake recipe is rather labor intensive and time consuming. If you are pressed for time, I suggest making this flourless chocolate hazelnut cake or chocolate hazelnut thumbprint cookies. They have similar flavor profiles.
Serving Suggestions
Keep assembled cake in the fridge until ready to serve. Let cake stand at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes to soften before slicing. Garnish with praline chocolate crunch shards before serving.
I love the creaminess of the praline mousse with the rich hazelnut ganache and the brandy soaked chocolate cake. Each component works to complement one another. ย
My favorite component is the praline chocolate crunch. ย It’s like a Nestle Crunch Bar, but better. It provides a nice and needed textural difference to make this cake amazing. ย
Related Recipes
- Salted Chocolate Hazelnut Tart
- Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread
- Maple Hazelnut Ice Cream
- Chocolate Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Praline Chocolate Crunch
Ingredients
Praline Chocolate Crunch
- 1 ยฝ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ยฝ cups blanched hazelnuts, toasted
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, or neutral cooking oil of choice
- 4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
- 4 oz milk chocolate, chopped
- ยผ teaspoon fine sea salt, or kosher salt
- 2 cups puffed rice cereal
Chocolate Sponge Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- โ cup brandy
Hazelnut Ganache
- ยฝ cup heavy cream
- ยฝ cup ground roasted hazelnuts
- ยผ teaspoon fine sea salt, or kosher salt
- ยพ cup unsalted butter, room temp, cut into tablespoons
Praline Mousse
- 4 oz dark chocolate, chopped, chopped
- 1 cup hazelnut praline paste , (reserved from praline chocolate crunch)
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp, cubed
- 1 ยพ cup heavy cream, cold, divided
Instructions
Praline Chocolate Crunch
- Stir sugar and โ cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. ย Increase to high heat and cook without stirring until light amber in color, about 6 minutes. ย Stir in hazelnuts, then pour onto a parchment lined sheet tray, separating nuts. ย Let cool.
- Transfer candied nuts to a food processor. Add vegetable oil and puree until smooth to make praline paste.
- Place both chocolates and 4 Tbsp of praline paste in a medium bowl. Reserve remaining praline paste for mousse. Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (bain-marie) and stir until chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Remove from heat and stir in salt and cereal. Spread out a thin layer (between 1/8โ to 1/4โ) on a parchment lined sheet tray. Chill until set, about 20-30 minutes.
Chocolate Sponge Cake
- Preheat over to 375 degrees F. Line a 17x11x1โ sheet pan with a butter parchment paper.
- Sift together flour and cocoa powder twice and set aside.
- Separate 4 eggs, placing yolks in a large bowl and whites in a medium bowl. Beat yolks with 1/2 cup sugar on medium speed in a stand mixer until thick and pale in color. Add the remaining whole eggs, one at a time, blending well between additions.
- In another bowl, beat egg whites with remaining 1/2 cup sugar and corn syrup until slightly thickened and frothy. Add egg whites to yolk mixture and beat to beat.
- Add flour-cocoa mixture and fold to blend. Spread out on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Let cool completely and then invert cake a peel off parchment. Brush cake with brandy.
Hazelnut Ganache
- Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Puree hot cream, ground hazelnuts, and salt in a food processor. Let cool to room temperature.
- With machine running, add butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Puree until smooth. Cover and chill until ready to use. Return to room temperature before use.
Praline Mousse:
- Combine chocolate, praline paste, and butter in a medium bowl.
- Bring 3/4 cup cream to a boil and pour over chocolate mixture. Let stand for 1 minute before stirring. Stir until melted and mixture is smooth.
- Beat remaining cup of chilled cream to soft peaks. Fold whipped cream into slightly cooled chocolate mixture. Cover and chill until ready to use.
Assembly
- Spread hazelnut ganache over soaked cake and chill in freezer for 15 minutes.
- Spread praline mousse over set ganache and chill in freezer for another 15 minutes until set.
- Cut cake crosswise into thirds. Stack layers on top of each other. Trim edges. Place in refrigerator and chill overnight.
- Let cake stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Break up praline chocolate crunch into large shards and arrange on top of cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Its looks amazing. If i want to do this cake in a round pan, what size should it be?
Is there supposed to be some fat in the sponge cake ? Butter or oil ?
The fat comes from the egg yolks. The recipe doesn’t need butter or oil.
Hello. I would love to make this cake but I am unsure of the measurements. What are the measurements in grams? Thank you!