Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

Nutella is the not-so-secret ingredient in this flourless chocolate hazelnut cake! This simple to make cake is delicious, decadent, and a chocolate lover’s dream.

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When I have an excess of bananas, I make banana cake. Too much zucchini, make brown butter zucchini cake. So obviously when I’m trying to get rid of a jar of Nutella, I make a chocolate hazelnut cake!

This small batch flourless chocolate cake recipe combines dark chocolate with ground hazelnuts for one amazing dessert!

This chocolate cake is an absolute dream. It’s rich and fudge-like. Best of all, this recipe makes two small cakes: one for you and one to share.

Ingredients

This is a naturally gluten-free cake! The batter is made with ground toasted hazelnuts instead of all-purpose flour. I highly recommend toasting whole hazelnuts and grinding them yourself. It tastes far superior to buying packaged hazelnut flour (or hazelnut meal).

Along with the hazelnuts, you’ll need: dark chocolate, butter, eggs, and Nutella. Use Nutella or any brand of chocolate hazelnut spread of your preference.

I like to add a splash of hazelnut liqueur to really amp up the hazelnut notes. I suggest using Frangelico. It’s a flavored liqueur similar to Kahlua. You can easily incorporate it into drinks and desserts.

The baked cake is topped with a smooth, luscious chocolate glaze. The glaze is a mixture of dark chocolate, heavy cream, butter, salt, and more optional Frangelico. Don’t skip the glaze. It acts as a glue adhering the chopped hazelnuts and chocolate chucks sprinkled on top.

Recommended Cake Pans

• I used two small springform cake pans for this recipe. It makes unmolding this cake much, much easier.
• This recipe works with two 4-inch or two 5-inch cake pans. Alternatively, you make bake it one 8-inch cake pan.

Serving Suggestions

Cool cake before topping with chocolate glaze. Immediately top with desired toppings to ensure its adheres to the glaze.

Store finished glazed cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.

This cake is absolutely delightful with Frangelico spiked coffee. Or, try it with this sweet cocktail shot called “the chocolate cake.” It’s a mixture of Frangelico and vodka.

Related Dessert Recipes

• Chocolate hazelnut thumbprint cookies
• Salted chocolate hazelnut tart
• Chocolate hazelnut layer cake
• Chocolate hazelnut rugelach

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Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut cake

By Maryanne Cabrera

The secret to this delicious and decadent cake is Nutella! This cake is sure to satisfy any chocolate-hazelnut fan.

Yield: two 4 or 5 inch cakes

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Total Time: 55 minutes mins

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Ingredients

• ▢ 3 oz dark chocolate (72%), , chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter, , room temp, cut into tablespoons
• ▢ 3 large eggs, , separated
• ▢ ½ cup Nutella hazelnut spread, , or any chocolate hazelnut spread
• ▢ ⅓ cup ground toasted hazelnuts, *
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Frangelico, (hazelnut liqueur)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ additional toasted hazelnut, , chopped for garnish
• ▢ chopped dark chocolate, , for garnish

Chocolate Glaze:

• ▢ 4 oz dark chocolate (72%), , chopped
• ▢ 4 oz heavy cream
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• ▢ pinch fine sea salt
• ▢ 2 teaspoon Frangelico, (optional)

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Instructions 

•  Preheat oven to 350℉.  Lightly butter two 4½- inch springform cake pans and line bottom with parchment paper.  Set aside.
• Place chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave at half power (50%) for 20 second intervals until melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in between intervals to ensure even melting. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, combine egg yolks, Nutella, ground hazelnuts, and Frangelico. Mix until smooth. Add melted chocolate mixture and fold to combine.
• In a medium bowl, add egg whites and salt. Using a hand mixer, beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Add ⅓ of egg whites to large bowl with chocolate mixture. Fold to combine. Add another ⅓ of egg whites and fold to combine. Repeat with remaining ⅓. Fold until there are no longer any egg white streaks.
• Divide cake batter between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the cake has puffed up and the tops of the cake have cracks. Insert a toothpick in center of cake to test for doneness. Allow cakes to cool in pan for 5 minutes before unmolding. Allow to cool on wire racks.
  

Chocolate Glaze:

• Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring cream to a simmer. Pour hot cream over chocolate. Add butter and cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit for one minute.
• Remove plastic wrap and stir ganache until homogenous. Add a pinch of salt and optional Frangelico. Stir until incorporated. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow glaze to cool and thicken.
• Pour glaze over cooled cake. Garnish cake with chopped toasted hazelnuts and chopped chocolate.
  

Notes

This recipe works with two 4-inch or two 5-inch cake pans. Alternatively, you make bake it one 8-inch cake pan.

* To make ground hazelnuts: Preheat oven to 350℉.  Toast hazelnuts in oven for 8-12 minutes until the skins begin to separate from the nut. Rub the warm hazelnuts in a clean dish towel to remove the skins.  Let hazelnuts cool to room temperature.  In a food processor, pulse hazelnuts until ground.

Store finished glazed cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.

Nutrition

Calories: 829kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 66g, Saturated Fat: 40g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 194mg, Sodium: 227mg, Potassium: 584mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 33g, Vitamin A: 1057IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 131mg, Iron: 9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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